


Rapunzel

by JellyFicsnFucks



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Depression, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Genocide runs, Getting to Know Each Other, Honeymustard relationiship, Misunderstandings, Money, No nsfw yet, One-Sided Attraction, Other, Plot, Prostitution, Starvation, Temporary Character Death, bc resets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2020-01-31 21:26:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18599728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JellyFicsnFucks/pseuds/JellyFicsnFucks
Summary: A different look at the Underfell Bros universe...  a war is raging on the surface and (Red) and (Fell) struggle just to get by.  Then one day Stretch teleports over and opens their world.





	1. Coming Home

Sans’s stomach growled again. A -1 depleted from his health and he painfully shuddered through the change. Clenching at his ribs. Clawing at his tummy. Everyday, whatever health he’d gained from sleeping was fading bit by bit. He bit his tongue and whimpered into a nearby pillow. 

(Boss should have been back by now.) He thinks to himself. 

Sans squirmed in his bed, gnawing at the mattress. Nothing but drool and soddy stuffing filled his mouth. It wasn’t even a half tasty meal. Just something to make him salivate more and cry into his hands. 

If he could, he would leave the house and get something to eat on his own. He used to do that when they were little. Stealing from monsters or eating through someone's trash was enough to survive. But since Boss left, he’s been tied to the bedpost. The key to the metal brackets is with his stone cold brother. It could be broken if Sans was able to muster up an attack, but right now his magic was waning. He couldn’t summon a bone attack even if his life depended on it. Besides… Boss had a good reason for this. No matter how hard it got… he couldnt break their promise. He just had to buckle down and wait for his bro to return. 

If he returned. 

Sans bites the tops of his pillow with that horrible thought. Boss was taking a long time to return home. What was it? Tuesday? Friday? He had a hard time keeping up with the week when he had to sleep most the day. His soul clenched with pain. What if Boss never came home? He’d be trapped here. Miserable and slowly having his stats eaten away at by starvation...

The front door rattles suddenly. 

Sans lifts his neck up. Hopeful. Hopeful for what exactly? He’s not sure. Boss could be at the front door. Or… there could be an intruder. 

Either way, it would put an end to this hunger, wouldn’t it? 

The door opens. He hears footsteps from the living room. Then the thomp up the stairs. The traversal down the hall. The footsteps navigated right where he was, like they’d known where Sans was locked up.

It was Boss after all. He breathes a sigh of relief. He pushes himself off the ground on weak arms and faces the wooden door to the bedroom. In a moment it opens. Streaming in bright light that he squints into. “B-boss?” 

Sans is blinded by the hallway light. There is no answer. Who was in the door? Was it really his brother? Was it death himself? Sans waits for an answer, hopeless, and it collapses in front of him. 

Boss falls to his knees, breathing ragged and clothing shredded. His favored scarf is ripped. Sans could mend it again… they had plenty of material. Clothes got thrown out all the time. 

But there was never enough food.Which is why he eyes the bag Boss holds. 

It's selfish… to think of food when his brother had risked life and limb to get here. He doesn’t ask about it, not yet. He crawls to his brother and asks if he’s okay. He runs a check on his health. 3/30. Just narrowly avoided a dusting. 

“Locked the front door?” Sans asks. A small nod answers his question. Boss can hardly respond back, breathing heavy he sits on the floor for a bit. Crawling towards Sans and holds him in his arms. About to sob, but his -oh so strong- little brother holds back his anguish. He has to be strong for both of them. So this small contact, this comfort of home, is all he can relish in. 

Sans holds him like they were kids again, letting Boss’s silent sobs wash over him. He’s seen too much again. Narrowly avoided death again. It wasn’t right to let him go outside. If Sans had his way, he’d be out there with him, but his brother was too possessive for that to happen. His last anchor to sanity… he couldn’t allow even a chance for his brother to die. 

That's why they followed strict rules… that's why he tied Sans up in the house… that's why he accompanied his brother whenever he could. 

Sans’s stomach growls. Another hit point is taken off his total. Getting up so suddenly wasn’t good. He’d used extra energy to greet Boss. 

He bites his tongue, hunger is hardly a topic to bring up while his baby bro is trembling in his arms. Even if Boss was bigger than him. Even if Boss was nearly twenty now, he’d always be his baby bro. Sans wilts into the hug. Glad he’s home safe. Eyes selfishly glaring over his shoulder, at the satchel on the floor. The wrinkles are too smooth to have anything hidden inside … But maybe. 

Maybe there was food. Yes. 

He hoped there was. 

There had to be!

“The King…” Boss speaks at last, his voice trembles, but he speaks. “Only granted me a few days leave. I have to be back on the front lines this Monday.” He grabs for his bag. At last. At long last! Sans doesn’t want to have to beg … or make his brother more worried than he already was… but Sans was in a constant state of dying these last few days. Sleeping was the only thing that kept his hp from snuffing itself out. 

“Quarter rations.”

Which meant Sans got an eighth ration. Half of whatever Boss got. More than generous for such a waste of space. He was a weak and useless older brother… just this much was more than he deserved.

Boss hands him the leftovers from this week and sits on the floor holding his head. Food he’s saved for Sans even though he must have been starving himself. Sans steels himself for whatever is left. Preparing for the worst. Chewed up bits of food are still here. 

He eyes half a protein bar and palms it immediately, taking the first bite of that gnarly chalk junk. Something just to sate his hunger. There's powder packets at the bottom of the bag. Stuff that has to be mixed with water to be edible. Three more half eaten bars are in the bag. And moldy bread half soaked in mud… and what was that? Human blood? Sans never thought he’d miss stale bread until now. 

A gurgle from his right lets him know boss is hungry too. They couldn’t live like this much longer… Sans hands over a protein bar to his little brother. Boss is much too tired to fight with his own pride and humility. They’ve had this argument before… they’ve shed the same tears before. Now Boss just takes it silently. Hating himself for having his brother share the same rations that he’d saved for him. 

He tries not to let his brother worry too much. But the only words he can offer are sour. “...Since your back, Boss.... I’ll make some money.” Papyrus shook his head. Of course he would. Saying no no no no in a silent chorus. He should be stronger than this. Strong enough to protect them both! Strong enough to feed them both! But Sans has to make up for his failures yet again. He hates it. 

Both of them wallow in their own self hatred. Knowing the other is suffering with the same pent up feelings. They tip toe around the same conversations they’ve had a dozen times. 

“Boss… If you untie me when you leave… I can make money all the time.” Sans whimpers, holding his ribcage.The hunger pain is still there, but his health stopped falling. “You don’t have to fight in Asgore’s war. Not for scraps. Not for glory… Who would even notice if you went missing? They’ll just add you to the dead count and move on. You don’t have to keep-”

The look in his brothers eyes says he should shut up. His brother had worked too hard to become part of the royal guard… the pay was good. When it came. If it came. And ... food was stable, at least on the front lines. It took strict discipline and determination not to eat what little shares he was given that day. Saving half to bring home to Sans- just for his brother to share his half with him again. … It was pathetic. He knew it. He knew it… but what was the alternative? Boss banged his head against the back wall.

“You need a bath Paps.” Sans said softly, but what he really meant was~ washing that blood and dust off will make you feel a bit better. A bit normal. Papyrus knew that. He nodded his head, agreeing but still shaking with hesitance when he procures a key and undoes the heavy metal chain around Sans’s neck. 

Free at last. 

Sans rubs his sore bones with one hand and extends the other to Pap. They get up, leaning on each other, and waddle to the front door. Sans puts on his shoes and Boss…. Boss mentally prepares himself to go back out there. Leather collar in hand, clipped to Sans. Much lighter and lax than the metal chain. 

Sans sucks in a breath. Snowdin was pretty safe. Relatively... 

He knew his neighbors and the parading guardsmen… but when someone was itching for a fight those familiarities didn’t matter. Sans changed his status immediately, it was one of the only things he could to do to stay safe. And Boss, humiliated and hating himself… changed his as well. 

Papyrus: pimp  
Sans: whore

As long as they were selling something… They would be safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update, next week ~ (11/29/2019)


	2. An intruder?! In my home? Its more likely than you think.

The way to Waterfall was a path they’d dug their heels into many times. Sans feels like staggering but with Boss pulling him along he tries not to look weak in front of other monsters. 

They pass some familiar faces, guards on patrol whistle at him as he walks by. A dog even flirts with him. Papyrus grips the leash tighter, but it's all he can do. 

Sans casually flirts with every monster that teases him. Their path blocked by horny motherfuckers, all want to play, none want to pay. Keeping good relations with them was important because sometimes he’d snag a rich fucker.

The baths at Waterfall are busy today. The streams are filled with monsters collecting water and bathing and urinating all in the same place. Sans hisses, they begin moving up stream looking for an empty patch to sit themselves at. The shuffle around. The shore was worst on weekends. 

“You go first, I’ll keep guard. “ Boss says sternly. The crowds make him unsettled still. He’s still got blood on his hands. His nerves are still wound out from killing so many humans. Sans doesn't disagree with him… even though he thinks Boss should bathe first and relax. He sits by the waterfalls stream and scoops it in their bucket. Water to boil and drink later. As for himself, he cups the water into his hands, it seeps from between his phalanges so he quickly splashes it on his face. Fast as he can. Freezing. 

He looks back at Boss, making sure his brother was still there. The leash was let go of, so Sans wouldn’t strangle, but without the taut rope it was hard to tell if he was really secure and safe. The leash drug on the floor behind him, still clipped to his neck. Though it remained on the floor, Sans knew he was still safe. Boss was here. Boss would always be here to watch him. 

Risking life and limb, he pulled his sweaty shirt from over his head and allowed the cool air from the roaring falls to send a shiver through his bones. The mist coating this place was pretty thin today, lucky. Sans stepped into the stream and stated to scrub at his arms. Were he a monster made of flesh his skin would be getting goosebumps from the cold, instead the shiver travels though his spine and right into this soul. He nearly jumps as the icy water trickles down his ulna. 

The cold water was good though, it helped to make him feel awake and refreshed. And when it was his turn to swap out watch duty so Paps could freshen up, he was alert for any attackers. 

Boss washed the blood from his armor first, hoping it would dry by the time he got clean. And… like always… Boss began crying. The sudden way his brother shook into himself was unmistakable. The release of war, the coolness of water, the dust washing off him… it always took the same toll on his senses. At least here, no one could tell the tears from the water that dripped through his skull. 

Sharp red eyes darted from any monster that dare got close to Pap. Sans wouldn’t allow anyone to come even ten feet next to their spot on the shore. His magic crackled furiously, a warning to others, and a way for Sans to seem mannacing without expending the magic it would take to summon the real thing. Hopefully no monster would call his bluff. 

Cleaned up, tired, and wishing for bed, the two grabbed their bucket and returned to home. That slow walk through the dirt trodden paths was exhausting now that their clothes were damp and sitting heavy on bone. Crossing the bridge to Snowdin sent a shiver down their spines. If they spent too much time out here, it might have crisped up and frozen their clothes, but their house was the first from across the bridge. They couldn’t wait to get inside and warm their bones. 

The door closed against the bracing winds and Boss put down their bucket of water on the small table beside the front door. Sans locked it up. Bolted the door shut. Boss took off his boots. Sans took off his shoes. Boss sat on the floor. Sans took off his leash. Took off the sopping wet jacket. They unequipped their humiliating titles. And collectively, they breathed a sigh of relief in the doorway. 

Home.

Safety at last. 

Stretch leaned down to their eye level and amicably waved at them. “Hi there.” 

…!

The last thing either brothers prepared for was an intruder in their home. Their sanctuary! 

Sans twitched, jolting upright with a blaster he’d summoned. The magic beast sapped at his magic. A -3 pricked at his soul for expending more magic than he had. The blaster opened its mouth and, before it could attack, faded into nothing but stardust. 

Sans’s one ace up his sleeve- gone. Sans choked and fell forward, dizzy now that his attack was wasted. 

“Woah! Careful with that!” 

Boss was the first to actually attack. He was so wound up from killing humans all day, the intruder in his home made him snap to a bloodlust mode he had just woken from. He summoned a bone femur in one hand, the end jagged to a point, and striked to stab the intruder, but the skeleton just disappeared. Into thin air. 

His thrown attack struck the opposite end of the living room wall. Wasted. He quickly summoned another to his hand, holding it with a grip that hurt. 

Boss shuddered. Panic welling in his bones as his eyes played tricks on him. It was impossible for an enemy to suddenly disappear! Where was he!? Where was that monsteR?!

No- 

His first priority was Sans! He wasn’t used to fighting to protect, only fighting to kill. This new situation made the great warrior tremble in fear. He kneeled by Sans and backed them both up into the corner. Safe from a sneak attack. What was going on- who was that???

“Sans did you see that…? Was that real??” Boss’s voice quivered. Maybe… maybe this was just sleep fatigue? Hunger? There… there was no way a monster could be in their house. The door was still locked when he entered. The windows were all secure, at least, that’s the way it appeared on the first floor. 

“It was real. It was you. Some sort of … shape shifter?” Sans mumbled. Oh stars no, not now. His eyelights felt heavy. His health was really low. His magic was wasted from an inept attack and now he couldn’t even hold onto his own consciousness. “Boss.. Boss. I’m gonna. Faint.?” He weaved back and forth on the spot. His brother grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down to sit before he fell. 

They waited in that corner of the room for minutes. Waiting for a surprise attack from the intruder. When would he next pop up? Was this a trick? A game?!

Boss was left alone now that his brother was knocked out. He waved his sword-like weapon at every shadow that moved. Not trusting anything. And a moment later, the monster popped up again. 

“Hey! I could have gotten hurt! You shouldn’t attack a -” 

Boss didn’t waste a second, with a wave of his arm he sent out a wave of sharp dagger like bones to spear his enemy. ~ but again the monster disappeared and the attacks skewered the back wall in the living room. 

This house wasn’t safe. The integrity was compromised and all that Papyrus is concerned with is protecting his unconscious brother. This wasn’t good. Should he leave the house? 

A pop on his right and a cloud of orange appeared, the look-alike stepped through it and put up his hands for that universal symbol of surrender. But that wasn't right. Why was this monster, with the clear advantage, giving up? Boss didn’t lower his guard down. He got up and swung his weapon with both hands to cleave the intruder in half. 

~ a pop, a sizzle, and the monster was gone again. 

“SHOW YOURSELF!” Boss yelled at no one. He spun on his heel and cautiously backed up into the corner where Sans was, resetting his battle stance. The monster was nowhere to be seen. This pattern was getting unsettling but predictable. Papyrus quickly reached for his brother and dashed for the door. The house wasn’t safe anymore, the shed would be safe. He could lock them in and wait for their health to restore. 

He reached for the door just as the doorbell rang. Papyrus scowled, nervously looking around the inside of the house before he pulled open the door. Punk Hamster was leaning against the pillar outside, sunglasses lowered just enough to send out a wink. 

“Sans home?” 

Papyrus sneered. Not this asshole now! But he grit his teeth and replied as politely as he could manage. “He’s…asleep.” He gripped the door frame, wanting to slam it but if he did he would be stuck here with the invisible monsters. If he had to choose between an invisible fuck and a lust hazed fuckboi, he’d definitely choose the enemy he could see. 

He pushed passed Punk Hamster and dragged Sans behind him. “ I’ll let him know you stopped by.” Papyrus sneered, against his better judgement, he couldn't allow Sans to lose a customer. He’d never hear the end of it. 

He dragged Sans through the snow to the shed outside, despite Punk chasing them down, and slammed the door in his face. Quickly locking the shed. Hopefully that invisible monster was on the outside. 

He pulled sans from the door and lightly shook him. Trying to stir sans from his faint . “C’mon Sans, please wake up… “ he whispered. That useless attack exhausted him of all his magic. Papyrus held him gently trying to rock him awake. 

“Sans please, please wake up. I don't know what to do without you here… “ he looked around the shed hastily, unsure of he should try to barricade the door or if that would make matters worse. Sans was starving.He couldn't go back inside until the house was clear . 

Could he share his magic with him? He pulled up his brothers sweatshirt and forced a spark of magic to summon his soul through his ribs. The small weak soul came to the surface beating with a 3/1 so far down from the 10/1 buffer they tried to keep it at. They were at the same status now, he had no more hp to help sans, but he still gave him another hit point of health. 4/1 so that his brother could be safe. Pap on the other hand was down to 2. 

“... If a monster attacks us.” Pap bit his jaw together, rocking his brother in his arms. “ We’ll be together no matter what, okay Sans? We’ll go together... so please.. Hold on.Hold on. Hold on.”

Papyrus gripped his brother tightly, reaching for the hammer off the back wall of the tool shed. A magic attack would bring him closer to death. He had enough stamina for a surprise attack… but not before he would faint and end up like Sans. The hammer would be enough. He held it tightly until his knuckles turned pink with the grip. 

Hours passed. Hunched in the dark shed, waiting for nothing.


	3. Check

He shared his soul with Sans. Then cradled his brother into the wee hours of dawn, not sleeping a wink. 

Sans had woken up with a startle, only for pap to smoosh a clawed hand against his mouth so his brother wouldn't yell. A shush was the first thing said to him, before papyrus slowly pulled his gloved hands away. Sans unsurely looked around the shed, still wary for an intruder, and trying to process what had happened when he’d fainted. 

Boss brought them to the shed. Who knew how much time had passed, but Boss hadn’t slept at all. Dark circles were under his eyes and judging from the streak of light in the windows… It wasn’t night anymore. When he finally felt it was safe he hugged his brother with a hard pounce and breathed in his scent. Pap must have been exhausted…

“... Lets go back in the house.” Boss whispers. 

“ but the monster-?? “

“The coward didn’t show up again. He might have been trying to loot the house and runaway when we got home. As odd as it was, he didn’t try to attack at all. It’s been a quiet watch. Are you feeling well? “

“...a bit. My head still...hh..!!!! My health!” Sans tries to get angry but just doesn't have the energy for it. He just sends his brother an annoyed looking scowl instead. 

Boss knows that look well. “I’m not going to just stand by and watch you die...“ His little brother scoffs, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

Sharing health was only for emergencies. They had rules about when it was and wasn’t okay to do this. Doing it when a monster wasn’t falling down, when he was unconscious and unreceptive to willingly soul share...! Boss could have hurt himself. He could have hurt both of them. 

Instead of making the same angry grunts, he contents himself to fall back into his brother’s chest. Looking at his stats. Making sure he was physically okay too. His brother rarely had health lower than him. Sans is just glad it worked out this time. He clings tighter to the arms enveloping him. The hug was a confirmation that the other monster was still here for him. 

His brother Papyrus always smelled like the sun. Or at least what he thought was the sun. He’d never been up there. But the muddy surface smells always stained Boss's bones. Even after a bath, that exotic smell clung to him. 

“I’m fine...now get off my lap lazybones, my legs are numb. Help me up.”

“Heh, sure, Boss.” 

The two shuffle out the shed and back home. The dawn bringing with it cold winds that rattle their shutters and nip at their bones. The house is thankfully empty. At least, it looks that way from first appearances. 

Sans shudders in place. The eerie silence of home felt awfully threatening. He jumps every time the floorboards creak with their footsteps. Papyrus is already ahead of him leading the way as he inspects the furniture and the house as if tracking a wild animal. He bends to the floor and tries to recreate where the monster had gone, but carpet proves harder to trace than mud. 

His investigation leads him to pull open their safe in the kitchen, unsatisfied when he finds nothing missing. There are dozens of jewels and meager gold still in place, as well as a precious photo the two of them had taken when they were just kids. 

The intruder hadn’t taken anything. Papyrus grimaces. If the monster wasn’t here to loot from them then what the hell was it here for? What was missing? What was he overlooking? Slamming the safe closed, he tucked it away back at the top of their empty pantry and met up with his brother at the foot of the stairs. 

If the bottom half of the house was secure, the only place a hiding monster could be was in one of their bedrooms. They entwined their hands. Sans’s cold clammy palms met up with his brother’s confident strong grip. They would check it out together. 

They try to be as quiet as they can during their ascent, but the worn stairs creak and cry with every step. The rotted wood beneath it, warping. Nevermind a quiet approach. Any monster that heard them on their way upstairs was already trapped. They couldn’t leave through the boarded up windows. So the staircase would be the only way to get out. That is, if an intruder was still here. 

Boss opens his own room first. Kicking open the door with a grunt and uses it as a shield as he sneaks a peak around the corner. Empty. Wall to wall, the room, devoid of excessive furniture wasn’t a place a monster could use as cover to hide. 

Sans reaches over and pats their hand, making a quiet signal for attention. Boss crouches to his eye level following his brother’s gaze. The two look to his room. The last room in the house… 

They’d left food on the floor… 

Papyrus gripped his hand hard. Quietly he let his courage become his brothers as they pressed forward and slammed open the final door. The doorknob hit the back wall hard. Taking a chunk of the wall out with it. But the two could hardly think about the damage. 

There was movement inside from loose pieces of paper that flutter about, masking their vision for a moment. 

Papyrus searched high: at eye level and to the ceiling- as if a monster thought he could use the roof space to escape. The wooden ceiling bars bent over the room like a ribcage closing them in. The window had been barred with the same wooden planks but decorated with curtains to let some light escape from the slats. 

Sans searched low: eyes glazing over their cots and the chains on the floor. The slop of blankets and clothes thrown carelessly. At his feet he spots the brown paper bag full of rations, with a gleeful little sigh. Safe.

Both their souls settled once they confirmed without a shred of doubt, that they were finally alone. Papyrus nearly crumbled to the floor right there. He leaned on the door frame and clutched his side in pain. The knotting fear in his chest had finally been released and a sharp pain spread over him as every bone that was anxious for battle finally started to release that tension. Sans pawed his way to his brothers lap and hugged him, small whispers between the two sharing their relief. Sans went for the paper bag again, asking pap to eat. He’d feel better if he ate something. 

Pap shook his head. He said he just needed a short rest to feel better again. The monster hadn’t slept in who knows how long. Sans silently agreed, letting Pap shut his eyes to rest. It wasn’t even a minute later when something thumped from deep below, the basement... 

…!

Sans and Pap looked at each other with a sudden growing fear. Nothing could prepare them for the tremble of nerves that coiled up their spine when the basement made a sound. The two hadn’t been down there since they were baby bones. Not since he was alive.

With morbid curiosity the two set out downstairs to check on the intruder. 

But not before Pap stopped by the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Sans eyed the utensils they hadn’t used in years, and hesitantly grabs one as well. He slips it into his inner jacket. 

Then, with a pause of uncertainty, they slid a key in the rusted lock and opened the creaking old hinges of the basement door. It should have been impossible for anyone to be down here, and yet, a light was on.


	4. A different type of porn

Pap hesitated taking the stairs down. This dark and narrow path to the basement was like the trenches on the surface. But instead of peeping his head over edge, fearful of enemy fire- he was looking down into the abyss. His heel would be exposed before he ever saw an enemy lurk. So he had to put down his guard temporarily. Sans had his back afterall. He got on all fours and kneeled on the top step, peering down from the gap on the stairs to take a look at the intruder in their basement. 

The orange clone of Papyrus was sitting cross legged on the floor. Back turned to both of them. In his lap he had a bunch of electronic gizmos, wires, and broken pipes. He was fiddling with a screwdriver and something that the doc left behind. 

Papyrus crooned his neck back over to his brother, signaling with his hands, a wave over his face followed by one raised finger; the blind and distracted single monster downstairs. A nod back confirmed that his hand messages were understood. 

Pap begins to slither downstairs, quiet like a viper, while Sans stays a bit behind not to interfere. This was a stealth attack, and Pap needed all the quiet he could get. Each step was silent, eery like Death himself. His skeleton demeanor embodied the legend. He drew the kitchen knife. Swiftly lining up in the blindspot of the intruders back. 

Stretch had a pair of headphones on, drumming his fingers rhythmically as he was screwing the final bolts in place to keep a copper conduit still against the wall. He was on autopilot. He reached for the next piece when he was done. Routinely recreating a pattern in his head to put together this machine for the umpteinth time. It was second nature at this point. He only paused to take a bite out of his lunch; which gave pause to the assassin looming at his neck. 

That was food. Real food. Papyrus swallowed a lump in his throat and eyed the cut bread, which had been sliced thick and grilled to toasty perfection. Lettuce. Tomatoes. Bacon… That didn’t look like rations. It was fresh. The vegetables were crisp and swam in the vibrant colors of life. The bread looked crunchy but also fluffy, and cooked to a golden color… rather than the stale, moldy, and crumbling at the edges loaf they were used too… 

Boss swallowed hard, saliva building in his mouth just from the sight. Even though he successfully snuck up behind this monster, he withdrew his blade. A new plan was formulating in his clever head.

He held his chin high and puffed out his chest, clearing his throat to speak lower than usual. His deep daunting tone was sure to intimidate the other monster. “What are you doing in our home?” 

“...” 

There was no answer. The intruder continued rhythmically clanking together parts of metal. Boss scowled. His first impression, falling on deaf ears. He pushed his blade out to poke the monster, both getting his attention and spooking the lanky copy. Which worked, he jumped in the spot and took off his headphones with a surprise. 

“Woah, hey. Hi. way to get to the point. Hi.” 

Boss’s frown lines deepened as he now had to re-ask his question.“What are you doing in our home?” He doesn’t let down his guard, even if the monster was unarmed. He brandished his tiny kitchen knife knowing fully well the weak attack was still effective if he could directly hit him. From point blank, the bastard didn’t have a chance even if he did turn invisible! 

But secretly Boss hoped his threat would land because his last bone attacks missed their mark too. The effectiveness of a knife against this monster was slim if at all. 

“I’m just passing through. Sorry for breaking into your house earlier… I can see why you’d be a little jumpy. Hah… Knife to meet you ha.. Heh... Um im. Honey. The others call me. But sometimes I go by Carrot too. Or Stretch. Im Papyrus…"

“ I can see that...” There is a thick scorn in his voice as he stares down his ‘twin’. “... you’re a bad imitation." The rounded teeth, the baby smooth bones, the goofy smile, the slouched posture… it was all just horribly wrong on him. 

“Heh… Well. You're a bad imitation too bud! The originals a little cinnamon roll. A real sweetie, ya know? Well, you'll meet him soon. I'm gonna set up your machine here, it'll be a piece of cake. “

Boss had no clue what any of this meant but the talk of food was stirring his nerves. He was going to wring the answer out of this moron.

“... Yes, of course. The machine." He drolled on like he knew what it was. Charisma wasn't his strong point, it was his brothers. "What are you doing with that junk heap? How do you even know about D- … Gaster's machine? Are you his… associate? “

“Yeah, I guess. Gaster and I worked together way back in the day… Not many people from my side still remember him, so what's he over here? Void daddy? King? Goo on the bottom of your shoe? There was a world where he was coffee, he was just sitting in a mug hanging out. Gross little blob… But hey… guess it must feel nice and cozy…. And fuck- your health is super low!!! Are you okay?!? “ 

Papyrus flinched, since when had this copy peeked at his stats? Was it his intention to talk off his ear to make him put down his guard?? 

Papyrus took a step back, hardening his resolve and masking his status with a firm reminder of the knife in his hand. He couldn't let this casual chat get to him. He had to- 

“-eat my sandwich! “

What? 

Stretch suddenly lunges the meal in his face, lettuce flops out from beneath the bread and a smell of bacon and assaults his senses. His resolve abandons him. And he stands now, only with confusion and a twitch in his eye. Frozen at the idiocracy this idiot was presenting by simply offering away food. 

Was it a trap?   
A trade?   
A distraction??

Food couldn't possibly be this brightly colored… Without an ounce of mold or graying dust… Was it plastic?... It was a fake right? It had to be.

“... What's wrong? Oh? Vegetarian??... Sorry you can eat around the meat or something… Here! “ He reclaims his sandwich and dismantles it to pull out two strips of bacon. Seconds of effort became slow in Papyrus eyes as he watched layer after layer of the tantalizing sandwich flip open like a book. 

Page 1 toasted bread. Page 2 leaf lettuce. Page 3 a mystery golden sauce. Page 4 cheese - stretchy long strings of cheeses that mashed together with the next layer. Page 5 tomatoes. Fuck, Papyrus gulped hard in his throat, not sure if he was hungry or horny. The food porn in front of him was stripping~ oh so, slowly... The sandwich was handed back to him again and an emphasis to eat and recover his health was made. But not before the intruder spots the little skeleton from the top of the stairs and waves hello to him as well. 

Papyrus twitches in place. His only brother, exposed! In an instant he is throwing up an arm and summons a wave of bones strike up from the ground to separate this intruder from Sans. The blood red bones break through the basement tiles to stand tall like an iron fence. It divides the basement in half, him and the clone on one side. Sans and the only escaping door, on the other side. 

“Don’t. Even. Think. About it.” He hisses at his twin, trying to remain steady even though that bolt of magic jolts him with pain radiating throughout his soul. He wouldn't be fooled again by this food temptress. His brother had been spotted and the danger in the room felt even more awful now that his guard had been lowered so much. This wasn't good. He was a warrior. A soldier! He shouldn't be fraternizing with the enemy. 

“Oh, sorry. Protective heh? My brother gets the same way about me too. 1 health see?” Stretch does the dumbest thing a monster could do and literally pulls out his soul. 

The orange tiny souling flutters in his hand. Beating healthily with a solid drum of a pulse and a status that neither brother can unsee. 

Papyrus (Underswap)   
Health 47/1  
*He is excited to finally talk to another monster. 

Even if it's just a measly 1, this imposter had a health buff of 46 more points than either brother had right now. They flinched at the luxury of Hp. The luxury only afforded by those well off bastards who could live a carefree life without worrying about food or health… or attack from enemies. 

Boss just realized why this bastard was so easy going. Suddenly it became clear that this wasn’t a scavenger, or an attacker, or even some asshole trying to loot and trick them. This was some privileged wealthy dumbass who was desperate for attention. He stared at the sandwich with envy. It wasn’t money this guy was after…. “So whats the catch? You’re just … giving us a free lunch?” 

“Pfft, well, how about you entertain me for a bit?” The imposter called Stretch, smiles dumbly. Unaware of the bomb he’s just dropped. Boss, could only protect his brother so much… but if it was entertainment the bastard wanted… That was Sans’s specialty. 

Not missing a beat, Sans stepped up to the plate, ready to bat for the home team. He slid down the stairs on his butt and snuck behind his brother, holding his hand for the briefest of moments to let him know it's okay to release his metaphorical reins of power. 

He wants his brother to know that it's his turn to be the big bro. The protector. He’s capable of doing this. But Papyrus is stubborn and he’s tired of sitting idly on the sidelines while Sans whored himself out to men and women. There’s a lump in his throat when Sans touches his hand. 

Papyrus knew the color of floors in almost every home in Snowdin. He’d stared too long at the ground, listening to muffled moans and cries. Trying to decipher if it was pleasure or pain, all the while hating every minute his brother made such lewd noises. The only thing he could do was tend to his brothers bruises and cracked bones from rougher clients… all for a little extra gold… It was humiliating. 

He couldn't make enough money to give his brother a better life than this… He was useless as a guardian. He didn’t deserve the title ‘Boss’ if he couldn’t even protect his property. 

So Papyrus grabbed Sans’s hand when it slipped into his, and refused to let him go. Even with Sans gently tugging, with a silent beckoning to let him do this. He could seduce this idiot in a minute… but Papyrus trembled. 

Selling out his brother for a measly half eaten lunch… He stared down the sandwich with hate towards himself and his incompetence to provide something so simple. But this monster… for whatever reason, was offering this precious resource. 

Stars knew Sans could use a health boost. Now that he was untied, Sans was free to be promiscuous with any monster willing to pay. If it wasn’t this creep now, it would just be another creep later.

What the hell was Sans doing? Was he already stripping? His brother kicked off his boots started unzipping his sweater. Idiot. What will happen if this fucker got too rough? Papyrus’s intimidation had zero effect on him and the idea of Sans dusting from a dick would be too pathetic to think about. 

Yet his brother squeezed his hand again. Assuring him it would be okay. Papyrus’s willpower slipped away as Sans’s hand slipped from his hand. Swallowing his pride, he took the offer for Sans’s sake. Snatching the sandwich Stretch offered and passing it down for his brother to eat. He needed the health boost. 

“Eat first before playing.” He snarled at his brother, snapping his fingers then pointing to the chair in the far corner. Sit. Sans nodded scurrying over to the seat while Papyrus crossed his arms and interviewed this new monster. Making sure he wouldn't hurt Sans. Laying down rules. Making threats. 

“My brother will keep you company for the hour. One hour. I will be here the whole time. I’m not moving from these stairs understand? If you attempt to hurt him, then you’ll answer to me. Green is okay. Yellow a warning. On red i’ll dust you.”

“but-?”

“shut up. Nod if you understand.”

Stretch raises a bone brow, nodding with a goofy smirk on his face. “ your so protective . Heh you really love your brother huh?” 

Boss scowled, not answering that question. Confirming it and denying it was trouble. Plus he didn’t like this guys sick smile. His own smile. Come to think of it, he hated the fact this shapeshifter had his face. Something that resembled his face. Was Sans even okay sleeping with him? Someone who looked almost like his brother?... To be honest, it probably didn’t matter. The horrible truth was that Sans spent so much time face down anyway he wouldn't care. Boss shivered. 

He looked over at Sans, seeing his brother eating. His health was stable at 10 points. 

Papyrus’s eyes grew in size. 10 points? When was the last time his brother had such a great boost to his health? All that from eating just half a measly sandwich??

He grit his teeth together. That proved the ingredients were fresh and this intruder had some reliable way of procuring food if he was so confident about handing it over. Perhaps Sans’s acquaintance with this monster would reap long term effects. Maybe this asshole with his face had more than just wit and charm. He was a valuable resource. 

Papyrus sighed in relief. Look at him. Sans. Sans his brother who was always wearing that fake smile, pretending he wasn’t hungry, and was always one bad day away from a dusting… His stats were humming. 

Sans  
*Health 14/1  
*Preparing himself for penetrative sex.” 

There was a click in the back of his throat that blistered with anger. A swell of shame and guilt he had to bite back as his older brother strode forward and, with practiced charm, introduced himself to his partner this evening.


	5. Flirting

Sans tagged in. He’d eaten half and passed his brother the remaining sandwich, nodding for paps to flee to the stairs. A motion that communicated without words ‘stay out of my way.’ His elder brother was cruel with confidence that could only come from selling his body. 

Pap bit back his tongue. Nothing he could say would make a difference anyhow. He took a step back, listening to his older brother and retreated to the stairs. He’d never felt like more of a child than when Sans displayed his promiscuity. A world of sex crazing and lusty adults is something he came to hate. And when his brother engaged in it… Fell felt a lump in his throat.

The reason he tied Sans up when he was away was for this very reason. His brother shouldn't be doing this… and if he was… Papyrus definitely needed to be there to make sure he wasn’t being hurt. It’s the least he was able to do. 

He sat on the bottom most slat ready to jump up and intervene at any moment. Sans saved him half, so grumpily he took a bite. Flooded by flavor that he’d never tasted before, Pap felt a boost in his stats that came with the nourishment. But he couldn't let that mind numbing flavor distract him. Tastebuds be damned, he had to stay focussed! He gulped down the sandwich as fast as he could chew it. 

Listening for his brother's discomfort.

Sans, didn't want to waste any time. He had already pulled off his jacket and kicked off his shoes earlier. His frame was small, defenseless… a trait lots of monsters took advantage of. He could see it in Stretch’s eyes too… and the way he smiled at him. The skeleton took a seat on the floor and pat the ground next to him, asking him to sit. 

Sans followed along, playing by this guys pace. “so… ” Sans cozies up to this brotherly clone. “... how do you want to start, big guy?”

“With this! “ Stretch surprises him by shoving a metal T jointed bar into his lap. “Hold this for me so i can connect these two bits.” 

Sans raised a bone brow, but this wasn't the weirdest way clients had started this off before. With a shrug he leant a hand to the double. What was his deal, did science get him off? Or mechanic stuff? If so… Sans could maybe sauce up his act a bit. 

Ooh… what a long pipe… but I bet you have a bigger one to show me right? Nah... that wouldn't work. Too cliche. Oh! Maybe he’d try to do a sexy mechanic… grind up against the cogs and see if that made his client tick...

Sans rubbed his face along the metal pipe, holding it in both hands like he was stroking a larger shaft. “So… where are we going to put this?” Sans motioned seductively to an erogenous place… but his taunting went right over Stretch’s head. 

“That piece is going to get hooked up to this one and start a big chain. Then these pieces are going to alternate between the one in the middle and push and pull to apply pressure. ” 

“Sounds kinky.” 

“Oh? Why?” 

“...why?... cuz...?” Why would anyone ask that?

“Hmm?”

“So… what are you building?” Sans deflates.

“Oh! Yeah. It's a device to teleport across parallel and alternate universes.” Stretch said with a smirk. “Unfortunately each one is just a one directional link. I have to rebuild this one if I want to return to my own home. Can you pass me that screwdriver by your foot? - Yeah thanks. My brother gets a little scared when I leave for these kind of experiments. But he’s dead right now so he won’t mind.”

“?! ... Oh.” Sans bit his inner tongue. That was one heck of a mood killer. He tried to be a little sympathetic. “I’m sorry to hear that - losing a brother must be-”

“Oh! It's fine! He’ll be back.” Stretch says with a confident smile. 

Sans returned it with a sour face, unable to hide his doubtful expression. “Yeah… Su..Sure buddy.” Sans grows quiet, not sure if the monster was making a gaff or if he really was delusional. If he lost Boss, he’d be in denial too… No doubt this monster was having his own share of mental breakdowns right now. That made him even more dangerous. Monsters like him, with everything they love stripped away, were the type to explode in a rage over little things. Sans tut his teeth. 

Normally only the dogs would be into seeing his bones, but a little skinship with a fellow skeleton couldn't hurt. Sans latched onto his arm and gave him a little cling of a hug. “Sounds like you need to do something fun to get away from the pain. Some… mindless… hands on… activity. ” 

“Nyeh heh… guess so. Thats why I’m building this.” He easily tears himself away from Sans and redirects the topic. “...You’re the older brother here? I couldn't help but take a glimpse at your pictures.“

Again Sans is caught off guard. “Our pictures?? . - “

“- the ones in the safe. Oh sorry for looking. I didn't take anything. Was just a bit curious. I just guessed it was one of our birthdays. ”

Boss is already prioritizing checking the safe after this. He can see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to remember how much gold was stored in there. Sans can just barely see his bro if he turns his head a little. Head down, to avoid seeing anything. Counting on his fingers. Trying to remember the last pay day he got.

“How did you know my birthday? “ Sans tries to keep this guy a bit chatty for now. 

“Ah, it's the same as my Sans. Oh! Great thing about cross universe buddies, we all share the same b-day! I mean. Well most of us. Not everyone. Alternate universes and all that. Oh! Are you familiar with the multiple worlds theory! It’s quite interesting!!! For every decision we make in our lives it creates a whole new universe. So there's a version of me and you and everyone in the underground who exist in a unique way. Oh! I can show you right now. Show me your soul for a min~”

“... “ Sans paused. He couldn't tell if the hyper idiot had any intention behind his friendly words. He couldn't sense any bloodlust from him… But then again intent was often hidden. “Show me yours first.” 

All too easily the idiot pulled out his soul again and handed it over. 

The fragile heatbeat fluttered in Sans’s open hand. Like this… it didn’t matter if the monster had 200 health or just a measly one. He could crush it in an instant. No monster should be without their soul… it was a death sentence. Yet this monster had exposed his weakness to them twice. What the hell did that mean? 

This monster must have been really bold to be handing over something so precious. Did he think that Sans couldn’t kill him? Or did he think he was too powerful to be killed? Either way… it wouldn’t be wise to make a killing strike so soon. Something was strange with this monster… and he needed to find out more. Starting with this soul. 

Papyrus.   
But not his Papyrus. 

With a hue of orange magic that swirled like flames of fire. But softer… like the whirlpools around Waterfall. Akin to a glass charm, the soul was smooth and glossy. Sans ran his thumb over the surface, knowing fully well what a skeleton soul should have looked and felt like… but he was confused by the hard-gel that strengthened and protected this soul. His own certainly was not that consistency. It was solid… yet if Sans meant to… he could jam his thumb in there without shattering him. How do you shatter a monster’s soul if it’s gel? Was it possible? Maybe that’s why the prick felt confident to hand it over to anyone he liked. 

True to his word, Sans pulled out his own soul. Though he was more cautious about handing it over. He shared a look over at the stairs first, making sure Boss was nearby to keep watch for any sudden moves. “Green” He mumbled. Just so Boss knew this was something he was okay with. A small nod helped him feel at ease and he handed over the small broken soul. 

Chipped and cracked, Sans’s soul was a watery mix of red and purple swollen bruises. The damage would take months to heal, if it ever fully healed. The health boost would help but it had been so long since his health was this high. His soul was hard as stone, armoring itself futility against the monster that held it's sharpened edges. Stretch was careful holding it. He cradled the soul in two hands and his eyes were fixated with the bright red color. 

“Wowie.” He hummed. 

Sans flinched, unsure what to make of that snippet of noise. Was that sarcasm? Humor? Honesty? Repulsion? Intrigue? Or maybe it was plain pity… 

“...yeah yeah, you've seen it. Now hand it back.” He tensed up a little holding out his hand for his soul, while keeping Stretch’s away at arms length for leverage. This was a trade after all. And holding another soul hostage was just fine until he got his own. 

“Yeah, it's just- wow, you have a unique type of magic you know? It's like my own. Hey, I bet you can teleport too.” 

Too? The Fell siblings share a look. Well mentally. Papyrus doesn't dare look up from his perch on the stairs. Together they confirm the asshole wasn’t turning invisible but instead teleporting away to safety. That wasn't any relief. Instead of worrying about him sneaking around their backs, a teleporter means that no lock would be able to keep this monster away. 

Papyrus keeps count in his head as the time passes. Half an hour later he is still listening contently as Sans idly makes this idiot chat about nonsense. The idle noises of tinkering rather than rough housing, wasn’t a comfort at all. To Papyrus, it felt as though there were something impending and dark lurking. 

“My brother~ pass that part will ya?~ he comes around every other month or so. His memory is getting better, but my side of the universe is still stuck in a loop. Looks like you guys got a genocide run this time huh? Rough. I saw some dust on my way in. That must suck. Don’t worry about the big fight, with or without ya here, it's going to reset anyway.” 

Sans raised a bone brow but didn’t say anything that would make him look like he didn’t know what the skeleton was talking about. The more this stranger talked, the more snippets of information the brothers were gaining. He was a chatterbox of random information. Apparently he knew Asgore and talked about him a lot. Someone with such connections to the king was a good ally to have. Asking a question or interrupting his stories, might just remind the monster that this wasn’t his place to speak about the king in such a way. A weak meager man who loved gardening and missed his wife…. Pathetic. 

Sans looked at the scattered electronics, none of which he could name or figure out their purpose. After they killed the doc, those pieces had been a mystery. Sometimes he came down here to see if he could sell any bits. Other times he tried to repair things around the house with the extra parts. There were tons of machines down here, the little thefts wouldn’t be missed. Whatever the skeleton was building… there were bound to be leftover junk too. 

Regardless… Sans had a job to do. Entertain the asshole. Which is exactly what he did for the hour, flirting and dropping subtle hints towards Stretch that he was also interested in the tools downstairs. That is, until Stretch misunderstood and put him to work building the other half of… whatever this was. 

As the machine’s construction started to take shape, Sans found himself a bit baffled by the contraption. It was essentially a tiny panic room. A large hatch door marked it's entrance to absolutely nothing but four walls of complete isolation. Then that room fed into a snaking conjunction of tubes and wires. A bit like a gas chamber. 

Sans really didn’t like the look of it. Back when he was training for the guard they locked up the participants in a mustard gas room … so the rookies would know what the sensation of it would be like in war and quickly recover. 

Skeletons don't have the fleshy layer of eyeballs other monsters have, but that just meant the gas could seep into their skull completely. It filled Sans’s mind and itched the inside of his skull. His eyelights couldn’t form, his magic was pulsating and on fire. It was the worst thing he’d ever felt. The gas seeped through his clothes and directly touched his soul. Come to think of it… Boss must have gone through that same training when he was old enough. 

He wonders if Boss is thinking the same thing about the gas chamber and looks over, only to see his brother is pensively staring at the floor. Counting the seconds… the minutes… waiting for Sans to be his again. His strict focus reminded Sans of his duty again. He stopped having fun with the building and tried to rub elbows with the skeleton. He bumped into him, sat a little too close for comfort, and even pulled the collar of his shirt down to complain about the heat. But he really couldn’t get this bastard to budge. Sans gulped. 

Was he just not attractive? Would he remain indebted to this ass? He was making his job hard if he wasn’t going to just use him. 

When time was up, Boss stands and grabs Sans by the back of his neck like a misbehaving puppy. He pulls his brother back over to him. The safer side. He immediately puts his foot down on where this transaction stands. “Your hours up, If you’re done with Sans then-” 

“Last bit here!” Stretch interrupts triumphantly. With an excited skip and a shuffle through bolts and loose papers- he made his way to the console and started flipping switches. The house rumbled. The lights flickered a few times. On. off. On. Then a low hum filled the basement. Then a light illuminates the inside of the hatch. 

It's a warm color of sunset on the surface… the color of dead bodies burning up and filling the sky with an azure haze. Boss grimaces, he pulls Sans closer to him. Stretch checks his watch. “Perfect. Just in time for dinner.” He pulls open the hatch door wide and steps inside, waving for the two brothers to join him in the cramped space. “Come on then, hurry inside. We can eat and then go grab a beer. I’m sure you have all sorts of stories.” 

“...mnn.. Boss?” Sans tilts his head up at him. “He said… dinner.”

“Yes.” Fell ground his teeth together. Their hushed tone is careful not to be overheard. “Perhaps he plans to eat us.”

“Won’t be a good meal... well we’re all bone.” Sans heckles cut to a sharp stop as Papyrus taps the back of his head with a knuckle. “Sorry.”

“Pay attention, keep your wits. We’re following him… for now. “


	6. Dinner Date

They step through the doors, squishing uncomfortably close to the skeleton. Sans thinks is a great time to mention how much he hated tight spaces… but he keeps his mouth shut as his breathing increases. Fell glowers. “So … what happens now? Packed like sardines. Great plan.” 

“Heh, it's a bit tight.” Stretch laughs and pulls a leaver. “But we’re here. See? Not long at all. ”

Surely enough, the door opens and the skeletons step outside…. Into the same garage space. No, not the same. This version was far more…. Lit? There were overhead lights that were bright and the basement wasn’t covered in grime and oil and left over metal bits. There were tables and chairs that were tucked in under the desk for use. There were boxes of crafts. Macaroni pictures and crayon drawings. The back wall had a poster of some schematic representing the device they just stepped out of. There were post it notes for coordinates, some crossed off, two circled excitedly. Stretch runs over to that desk now, scribbles down new numbers and circles it with a leap of joy- posting it on the back wall. 

Sans confusingly looked at the photos on the wall. This ...teenage Papyrus imposter and a baby skeleton with blue eyes. As the photos continued down the timeline, that baby looked more and more like Sans… 

It was a bit disturbing. Not just the uncanny resemblance, but the closeness in each photo was making him feel uneasy. They were hugging… and smiling in every photo. Creeps. 

“Saaanss? I’m bacccck! ~ I brought two guinea- dinner guests!!

...Fell twitched. That fucker was about to say guinea pigs, wasn't he? Wasn’t he? He definitely heard that right. The sneaky, no good, clone was up to something. But still, they followed him to the inside of the house. 

The arrangement was different, but it looked like their own home. Definitely their home. The wallpaper was neat and untorn, the floorboards actually connected to each other and were stained with a varnish to make them smooth. There were toys and messes of clothes piled high on the sofa, someone had done laundry but never folded it or put it away. Lots of little projects were left out in that same style. A board game was taken out, half played, gathering dust. Messes of plates stacked on the floor instead of the sink. Boss was keen to that. The carelessness of spoiled food… it started to paint a picture that neither skeleton bro was willing to accept. 

“Saaaans?” Stretch called throughout the house. Frowning to himself. The imposter was calling the name of his brother, the brother he’d just admitted was dead a little while ago. The shared name made Sans tremble just from the unnaturalness of being called by Papyrus’s voice yet knowing not to answer. The deranged monster and the mad arrangement of the house made the Fell’s raise their defence.

He gripped Sans’s hand tighter. This alternate copy of them was apparently unstable and yet he was telling the truth about this other world… or this was one huge scam they were pulling. How fast would monsters have to redecorate their house to pull off this lie? Were parts of it cardboard? Were there signs of a forced entry? Maybe illusion magic. Boss made sure not to lose Sans incase there were more monsters with that ability to turn invisible or teleport and sneak up on him. 

“He’s not back yet.” Stretch rubs the back of his head and tries to apologize. “I’ll make dinner instead, haha, it will be better than tacos at least. Do you need a smoke? Want a seat?” This over eager monster was just desperate for friendship isn't he? Boss scoffed in his throat, taking the power seat of the kitchen table. 

It was the one with the back to the wall, overlooking both the entry way and the back of the monster by the stove. A view perfect to view any figures that would come near him, but counterly cornered himself in. He needed his brother to make up for the lack of sight in his vision. 

Sans took the chair to his right, the angle allowing him to view Stretch’s hands more fluidly and any utensil-shaped- weapons he may pick up. It also faced the kitchen window, a great entry point for attack. His back was to the door, but Boss had his blindspot. They communicated this silently, effectively making up for what the other lacked and eyeing the clone suspiciously as they complied. Odd a house of two monsters, one of which was deceased, had three chairs... 

Boss and Sans immediately took note, cautious of another inhabitant. 

Stretch opened his cabinet doors unguardedly, revealing the stockpiles of preserves stored there. He pulled out a generic spaghetti and jar of seasoned tomato sauce and, with the luxury of running tap water, he carelessly dumped the ingredients together as though it would turn into an instant dish. … which it did. 

The sudden aroma of pasta filled the air as Stretch ladled four bowls full of gourmet spaghetti. He came back to the table and took the remaining chair. The weak chair. Boss smugly took pride in the secret coercing he and Sans had plotted. Not that it meant much.

Besides, who could think of chair power dynamics when a hot steaming meal was placed in front of both of them. Perfectly tender and twirled spaghetti, plated with a garlic tomato sauce and smelling so wonderful that he instantly got a headache. 

“...how?” Sans bit his tongue when Boss kicked him under the table. Right. They couldn't give away their lack of information. Somehow this monster had turned raw ingredients into a perfectly cooked dish in seconds. Clearly this went farther than a cultural gap. Something here was fundamentally broken in the logic of this world. 

Sans looked at his brother, eyes playing part in a message that was left unsaid. He looked down at the food. Then at boss. Boss raised a boney eyebrow. In seconds the two communicated with glances a whole conversation. 

Did you see it? He asks with an inquisitive glance. Did you see how it was made? His eyes narrowed. His jaw squared. Obviously the answer was no, evident by San’s half asked question but still Boss assumed there must have been something that caused that lightspeed cooking. Did you see a spark? Was it some magic? Was there a premade meal on the stove? 

Sans just makes a small jerk of his head, unnoticeable to the third party sitting with them. Nothing. He saw nothing and yet had the chair that faced the stove. Boss’s face makes a micro frown. He stares at the food. His chin turns up. The food below him, couldn’t have been good. Sans understood that. There was doubt to whether or not this was poisoned…

The monster across from them was eating, but that wasn’t proof the food hadn’t been altered. Afterall, this monster had come into their house. Tampered with tools in their basement. Gave them food. Didn’t use Sans for pleasure. Made them more food. Something was wrong here. They didn’t know what exactly it was yet. But no monster was so sickly kind and welcoming. 

He must be doing something evil to get their guard down. 

Sans bit his jaw. This hadn’t been the first time he’d been poisoned. He picked up his fork. Glancing at his brother with an affirmative nod. Beneath the table their hands linked. 

Sans brought the food to his mouth, swallowing without tasting anything. He paused a moment to see if his stats would have an affect. Nothing immediate. He squeezed Boss’s hand. Still here. 

“So tell me about yourselves.” Stretch hunched over the table, unaware of the body language going on between his two unwilling dinner guests.

“You first.” Boss squeezes Sans’s hand. This was war. 

“Me? Oh, yeah. Well I’m just an average Papyrus ya know. Hah. Oh you dont. Right.” Sans and Boss breathed a collective sigh of relief. Luckily Stretch was a chatterbox that filled in their awkward silence for them. 

“The original Pap is a such a sweetheart. He’s a lot like my brother. I’d like to hang out with them more, but I don't have enough juice left in my portal to visit them. Unfortunately their visits are more of a one way deal. I figure if I link up enough portals I can have a cross universal train system to hop from one end of the verse to the other without using so much power. Oh but don't worry, yours isn't’ one way. We’re practically universal neighbors! I’ve recently found a great way to power the machine by using some raw determination. That stuff is great. Purifying it is the hard part. There’s so much left over that’s unusable, I don't know what to do with it sometimes… but lately, I dunno... I’ve really enjoyed the process of collecting it. Something about it is really satisfying to gather the materials. Sans tells me there's no need, and he wants me to stop putting myself in danger… so sometimes I stop and try to do other hobbies. But it's really hard being here alone with my own thoughts.” 

Clearly. Boss thinks. He takes a moment to look around the well kept kitchen. At the sliced bread on the countertops, the stains of sauce on the stove. The unlocked and unmarked fridge… There were photos here like there were in the basement. Family albums of them and friends. A spider woman in particular kept making a reappearance in their photos. Sans was eating idly. He couldn't tell if his brother was actually enjoying the food the way he swallowed it down in one gulp. He wanted to at least tell Sans to slow down and take it easy. He was here for him after all. If there was poison in the food, Papyrus would simply share his hp with his brother like he always had. 

But the way things were looking right now…( especially since this monster had been desperate to chat with someone who would listen)... Boss assumed the food was relatively safe. 

This monsters intentions were too... clingy for him to want to dispose of the two brothers. If anything, he’d say this copy of him wanted his kidnap his Sans to replace his dead one. Certainly there was no harmful intent aimed towards his wonderful brother. That meant this battle was strictly between them. Papyrus vs Papyrus. 

Or at least, thats what Boss was thinking. In reality, Stretch was just glad for the company and he had no problem going on and on about his adventures.


	7. Dine and Dash

While Boss was quietly ensuing war, a grumpy potato sitting in the middle, Stretch was still telling his story. He had no problem going on and on.

“So I’ve been targeting other nearby universes. Most of the time it’s empty. For some reason lots of places are just white slabs of nothing, getting home is a bit hard when there's nothing to work with. I usually just off myself or wait till the next reset so I can port back home and x off those coordinates later. Not only does it help build my little highway through the multiverse, I’ve also been trying to find some correlation between how their surface barriers are activated so I can work a way to open mine and fix the timeline. Oh. Wait. Let me start over. So like. There's a Multiverse of worlds out there just like yours and mine, and it turns out we all have some basic similarities. There's different versions of our family and neighbors, it gets a bit confusing at times honestly. The whole bit with dad is a bit weird depending where I go. How about you guys? Do you have a dad?”

Stretch’s unasked question kind of lingers in the air… like a turd, in the wind. Boss and Sans share a look before Boss has to take the leader role and make a decision to answer. It's not as though they would lose anything by talking about something known to many monsters in the underground. 

“We don't.” Boss says with a stern expression. 

Stretch tries again.“How about some doctor? Don’t you two have a Gaster?” At that word the two skeletons flinch in a way that gave an answer. For once, Stretch is keen on the body language there, though he’s reading it all wrong. “Oh~ Sorry for your loss. How long ago did he pass away?” He asks, but doesn’t give either brother a moment to answer. “I know It's been hard to talk about it to anyone, too. Mostly taboo. I mean, I’m glad you two have each other for support. It's not always like that. Sometimes a Papyrus doesn't have a Sans and they go crazy, yanno? Nyeh heh heh -eh...” 

Stretch’s laugh dies out into a nervous heckle. They all pause and unsettlingly stare at the fourth plate of pasta. Served out of habit.

“I’m not crazy.” Stretch feels the need to say out loud. Which doesn't put any monster at ease. “Sans will be back soon, you’ll see. He’s just taking a while to come back.” Sans slurps at a noodle, changing the subject. 

“...so this doesn't taste half bad. Do you cook a lot?”

Boss beamed at his brother, so proud the little manipulator was able to word something so delicate into a polite conversation. A devious tactic indeed!

“Well, not always. My bro makes tacos a lot. He’s only lvl 2 so he needs the practice. Not that it helps when a reset hits. Heh. He doesn’t know I’m a lvl 6 cook, so I try not to interfere in the kitchen or he’ll get jealous.” Stretch gets lost in rambles again. It's enough time for Sans to finish his pasta. Boss is keeping a steady check on him, making sure there isn't any delayed poison effect. “Sometimes I go over to Muffets for something hot. She makes some great pastries but I mostly go for the beer. I mean, went. Went for beer. I don’t drink anymore! I used to drink a lot. But Sans has been getting on my case about that. You know what it's like, right Pap?”

Boss recoils at the nickname. The gruesome butcher of his name was something reserved only for his brother… not this copy that presumed to know him. But playing, ever so nice, Boss makes a small ‘uhuh’ just to agree with the rambler. 

“You don’t look like a beer kind of guy, is wine more your thing?”

“Yes?” Boss nods his head dumbly. He’s surprised when this lanky monster jumps up from the table, shaking it in his haste. Without missing a beat he reaches for the top cabinet shelves and pulls out two glasses. Pouring one out with his newfound Papyrus buddy. He spares Sans a glance. “You’re fine with your bro, drinking right? Is it okay? It's a toast. Right Sansy?” 

Sans recoils at the nickname. Much like his brother the two are repulsed by the friendliness in his tone. Stretch pours himself a glass of wine, all too eager for something alcoholic. He’d probably sparked his addiction by talking about it and using this event as an excuse to drink. Luckily for Boss, there are no shenanigans when he pours out the wine. Boss sees the brand new bottle opened and how this chatty fucker pours. There doesn't appear to be any tricks. And if the bottle was poisoned, the host wouldn’t be drinking as well. 

Boss picks up the glass poured for him. Unlike the food, he at least trusted this blood red liquid. Stretch swirled his in his glass, loving the aroma, and held the chalice in a strange way that most certainly looked like a lobster clawing at a straw. Boss was quick to replicate the action. This normal presentation was something of a tradition, and adopting it quickly would help his act. 

He swirled his glass, smelled the toxic bouquet that smelled of antiseptic used in combat. He took a sip. The strong fruity fermented saturation sent a sparkle down his throat. He liked it. He offered some to Sans only for the clone to suddenly take offence. 

“Woah woah woah!!! Don’t give him any!” 

“... why?”

“... Well… you know… doesn't your Sans?...” He makes a gesture that Boss doesn't recognize at all. The weird sucking thumb motion was too brief to decipher. This seemed to be a Papyrus only activity to indulge in. Which was not the way the brothers did things. Everything they had, they shared. Sacrifices were made to keep them both alive and healthy. 

“How bout a juice box, Sansy?” Stretch smiles, oh so warmly, but that sincerity didn’t seem real. Sans felt as though he was being talked down too, though he wasn't sure why. 

“Sure?” He helplessly agreed. More food sounded better. And hell, if he was already poisoned why not double down and enjoy it? Being catered by this sicko was fun. 

Stretch politely, and violently, stabs him a cardboard box filled with what Sans assumed was an apple; since there was a smiling, sunglass wearing, picture of a disco apple on the cover. He hadn’t had an apple before. Old Gerson used to have a crabapple orchard in his yard. Sans wanted to go there with Paps and maybe steal something sweet. The old coot was out of town that week but his orchard and half the underground burned down when some territory feud had gotten out of hand. Dubiously, he took the box in his hands and sucked on the straw. 

And sucked some more. The sweet flavor permeating through his mouth accidentally summons his ecto tongue. Even though it's an accident, it's not a mistake. With his tongue he was able to taste far more richer flavors in the cider. He felt Boss’s hand move from his own, but he wasn't left lonely for long. His brothers heavy handed palm rested atop his head. Patting him, glad Sans was enjoying his drink, just like he was. 

The brothers found themselves warming up the stranger. The quickest way to a monsters soul was through their stomach, or so the saying went. Though they found themselves lost on most of the things Stretch talked about… his endless chatter was starting to lower their defences. That is, until Sans felt a gurgle in his stomach. 

He squeezed his legs together. Tapping his brothers thigh to let him know something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

His stats were high. His health was high. There didn’t seem to be any draining in his magic. Yet, much like his tongue, for some reason his ecto body started to take shape under his clothes. He didn’t mean for it too. If this wasn't a poison… Was it… some sort of sexual drug? 

Sans squeezed his middle under the table. He knew this sick freak was up to something! He just didn't expect… this. He didn’t feel sick. He didn’t feel pain. This drug was simply… making him uncomfortable. Maybe that’s how it started. A quiet pressure in the pit of his gut. Boss took the hint. 

“Well… this was...interesting.” Not the word he was thinking of, but he tried to be polite. At the very least, to be unsuspecting that he knew what had happened. “But Sans and I should be heading home now…” 

“No!” Stretch pleads. “I mean… you can stay here. We have spare bedrooms upstairs. Oh! I can clear out the office! Wait here! Please! I’ll be real quick!” 

Before Boss can even counter that, the monster teleports out of sight. In a minute they hear thumping from the ceiling. The monster was rushing to clean the upstairs bedroom. 

“He’s desperate for a friend.” Sans scoffs.   
“Yes.” Boss agrees. “He doesn't seem like the type to poison you. What are you feeling?”   
Sans squirms in his seat. “I don't know… like? ...it's a pressure in my magic. And I cant desummon my body. Im not dizzy… I think it might be a sexual stimulant…? ”  
“Don't flatter yourself, pudgy.” Boss pokes him, with the insult. Then he takes a swig from his glass with his newly learned so cool habit to swish and drink. Sans rolled his eyes. His brother, easily impressionable. “If he was interested in your body he would have taken you much earlier.”

“Yeah… true. But you’re still an asshole.”   
“Apparently, you resemble his brother. Why would he want to sleep with you Sans, think for a minute.”   
“Well… what else could it be?”  
“... I think I’m starting to feel it too.”   
“What? You didn't even eat anything!”  
“It was a mistake to drink anything he offered. I dont know what his plan is… but I dont think this monster has any intention to attack us.”   
“Maybe it's a set up?”  
“Possibly.”  
“...We’re not really going to wait around for him to come back right?”  
“Not a chance.”

The two scramble up from the their chairs, table legs scratching and plates clattering. The noise they make is loud in the absence of Stretch’s nonstop talking. Luckily the monster was still straightening up, upstairs. Without sparing a glance his way they hustle out the front door.


	8. Exploring the neighborhood

It's night, but Snowdin’s wind is pretty tame. Lucky them. Sans didn’t have shoes or a jacket but he was quick to follow his Boss as they made their way home. Titles be damned, if they just walked fast maybe they could avoid trouble. 

But something was a bit weird about Snowdin. The street lights were on. But the town was empty. There weren’t any lights on from houses and monsters weren’t on their nightly patrols. Boss considered this lucky. He hurried back home, trying to trace his way through the shops. If this guy was a teleporter, that explained the whole… house swap situation. But if he just got to a familiar place, Boss would be able to find his way back home. He was sure of it. 

Sans on the other hand… 

He shallowly stepped in his Boss’s footprints. Instead of looking up for landmarks of home, he was looking down. He saw the path of blood and dust in the snow. The faint pink dots and glisten of amber in the snow. There were signs of struggle. Despair. Clothing poffs and accessories lied in bundles one after the other. He pulled the back of Boss’s shirt. 

“Paps… Boss… I think something happened in town. It must be a turf war again.” He pointed at the necklace and toy doll in the dirt. A mother and child killed. The two tut their teeth together, unable to do more for the dead. After a quick apology to the fallen, Boss steps forward and loots the jewelry from the dust pile. 

They walk further into town. Looking for the cheap nicknacks or second hand clothing stores. There was a giant tree in the middle of the townsquare decorated with balls and wrapped boxes. Sans picked one up, curious, and shook it. Only for Boss to slap it out of his hand. “Don't touch weird things.” He hisses. Silently, Sans has to agree with him. 

They walk past the igloos and neighbors homes. Past the Inn and shops. Grillby’s bar didn’t have any lights on… and upon closer look the neon light sign didn’t have the flame monsters name anymore. There were a lot more shops and stores. One selling candy. Another selling nicecream. That wasn’t right. 

They walked all the way around Snowdin until they came back to the same house. Not their house. The festive lights on the outside were the only beacon in this empty town. 

Papyrus and Sans growled glumly at the house that wasn’t theirs. “Okay. New plan.”   
“Boss I’m feeling really weird.”   
“Hold on Sans. The sooner we get home, the sooner we’ll sort this out.”  
“Hnn…”   
“I can’t find the house.”   
“Yeah, no kidding.” Sans sucks in a breath. “Boss I’ve been thinking for a while, maybe the guy isn't a shape shifter. Maybe he’s you. Like another you.”   
“You don't really believe that nonsense do you Sans?!”  
“Well… he’s talked about it all night. Nonstop.”   
“... He’s insane.”   
“Yeah… but… what if … he’s not?”

“...” Boss frowned. He grunted. He crossed his arms over his chest. Humoring the thought was making him visibly upset the more time went by. Until he threw his hands over his head and stomped his boot in anger. “Fine! It’s another world! Is that what you want me to say!?”   
“Sure.”   
“Aaaaa- the stores are different! Snowdin is different! The way he acts is different! I hate that he has my face! I hate that he calls your name! He doesn’t seem threatened by anything I do! He’s so fucking casual and calm! It infuriates me!” Papyrus grumbles under his breath. 

Sans had to take a breather too. The chill was doing nothing for him. He wanted to cross his legs and… what? Jerk off? No. this feeling was spreading to his ecto genitalia… but it wasn’t heat. Monster heat was much different… slow and pleading for attention. This was a sharp, immediate pain that he needed to find release from. He bit back a bit of panic in his throat. 

“Okay. We can figure this out.” Sans tapped the side of his skull, trying to come up with a solution. “Probably... the only way to get back home is going into that machine we came in from.”   
“I didn’t see a thing.”  
“I wasn’t naked!”   
“No no that!” Boss grunts. “I didn’t see how that machine was assembled. If we had to start it up to leave here… do you think you could do it on your own?” 

Sans drew a blank. His face completely wiped clean of any silly grin. He’d spent a whole hour building that junk… how did he not remember anything about it? He didn’t even know what the start button looked like! Stretch just… told him what to do and Sans has always been good at following orders. 

“Um.” Sans searches his mind, trying to remember how they got here. Stretch pushed a bunch of random levers and switches… when they got here he scribbled down coordinates. “He has notes in the lab.” Sans says out loud. “Maybe he wrote out how to start it. Then we can get home and break the damn thing.” 

“Good idea! No. Wait.” Papyrus’s eyes darted around the town. He had an idea. A wonderfully awful idea. “Okay… so this is another world? Right?”   
“Sure.”   
“Okay… what if… we stole some shit.”   
“Boss…”  
“Comeon Sans, you saw the stores! All of them are empty, monsters are dusted in the streets. It's not like anyone’s going to miss the junk left behind.”  
Sans disagreed. “We don’t know what we’re getting into here. This could be a world full of teleporters. If they’d break the basic rule of hurting kids… who knows what they might do to us! These monsters might be more monster than our… monsters.” He grimaced at the lack of his words having the punch he wanted. “Anyway… what level was the guy? Stretch? Did you see it?” 

“I only read his health. His level was hidden from me.”   
“Me too.”   
“What if he’s strong.”  
“Of course he’s strong with health like that.”   
“For all we know, he’s the one that dusted these monsters!”   
“Last survivor? … more like murderer.”   
“Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing.”   
“He’s a nutter.”  
“... so we’re in agreement?”  
“I really need to be fucked.”   
“SANS?!”  
“What!? I’m serious Pap! My magic is humming weird. Im horny and full and I dont know what’s going on!”   
“Disgusting.”   
“Im panicking here Boss! I feel like… like my magic is going to explode.” Sans is looking at his toes, really humiliated to say this out loud. But the bros share everything, so a little embarrassment wasn’t much compared to preserving their health.   
“...so what… you want to be fucked by that clone?”  
“Yes!” He looks up and beams at Papyrus...and then after he sees his brothers stern face he changes his answer. “Nooo. Of course no. I mean… I still owe him. And we dont want to be in debt to that ass.”  
“You slut.” Boss rolls his eyes stepping inside with a long stride. Sans whines in his throat. The insult doesn't mean much to him. When it came from Boss, any insult was coated with that layer of truth and sarcasm. “Get inside, before you freeze, Sans.” His brother holds the door open for him. 

The house is much warmer than the brutal icy chill from Snowdin’s natural climate. Sans whimpers in the doorway, bones warming up and clacking together. Knees knocking together and arms crossed over his middle. 

“Need me to carry you?”

“No.” Sans whimpered. He looks up at his bro. “Aren’t you feeling the same thing too Boss? You look so calm.” 

“The volume I ingested was much smaller than yours.”

Sans nods with a small tremor. He gets back up to his feet and pinches his legs closed, walking with his brother to the basement. The stairs are troublesome. He takes one at a time and even then he’s still whimpering with a moan from the jostle. Boss walks ahead of him, letting Sans take his time and starting to work on the notes left here. Only they were written in WingDings. 

“...It's WingDings” Boss hissed.   
“I’m coming. I’m coming.” Sans panted. He squeezed his eyes shut as he quickened his pace and stepped down the final 3 steps. “Nnnnn!!” Squeaking with sudden horror when he feels a trickle between his thighs. 

Boss is wide eyed staring at him. Like that sound from his brother wasn’t new… but he’d never expected to hear it when they were just… walking. He knew all of Sans’s moans. Hated himself for knowing that. This sounded like the surprised squeak when his brother was suddenly entered. A rare and meek sound. Most of the time Sans wouldn’t squeak with a moan from insertion. Not pain…Not pleasure… it was that lusty gasp of relief when his desire to be used was met with rough thrusts and overstimulation. Stars he hated knowing that. He clears his throat, blush clear on his boney face. “...Just ...read this so we can get home? Okay?” He steps aside for his brother, tearing his eyes away. 

Sans made a sniffle and nodded as he came round the table and tried to read WingDings again. It had been a decade since he’d seen it but he was quickly recalling his alphabet as their lives may depend on it. Sans rubbed himself on the table, not in the least bit shameful as he tried to multitask. Hands quickly repeating the alphabet with a practiced memory, even though Sans himself couldnt remember. 

A B C D E F - this one is a F. Okay. Next letter. He repeated the alphabet with his hands. The muscle memory of doing this with the doc was more familiar than when it was written.   
Boss crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, trying not to pay attention to the slow grind his brother was working towards. His brother was clearly uncomfortable… he should at least let Sans know about his options. “Punk Hamster was looking for you.” He says with a snarl. 

“Oh?” Sans made a noise to show his interest. “He’s got some huge balls.”

“I know… coming to our house in the middle of the night… the jerk should be glad I didn’t attack him on the spot.” 

“No, I mean…” Sans paused. “Yeah. Okay. Boss.” He returned to reading, idly making chatter. “Sounds good.” 

Boss growled at the floor. Swallowing that bitter bile again. He looks at this place. The overly happy photos of a Papyrus and Sans cuddling and laughing. It sickens him. It looks like… the chatty bastard was the older brother here. He was holding a baby bundle in one of these photos. In another he and the doctor are eating nicecream on the sandy shores of Waterfall. 

Boss idly flips through the album, not much use to his brother right now. There is a woman in the photo too. A skeleton he’d never seen before. She radiated a warm smile with painted lips of red and always a kiss in every photo. Kissing a tiny Papyrus in her arms… her belly rounder and rounder until… she wasn’t in the photos anymore. A life traded. This baby started appearing in photos. The Sans here, grew up with stars in his eyes and a childhood wonder~ unbroken by the harshness of reality. 

Boss looked over at his own brother. The sweaty, milquetoast, horny, smart, mess that was squirming uncomfortably… all to get home and fuck some stranger for cash. 

… why… did they want to go home? Sans would get laid… make some cash. They’d eat… do some puzzles… then Boss would have to leave again. Heading towards the front lines of battle to fight a war for the surface… all for some measly rations.. To share with his brother. So he could start the cycle all over again. 

Boss has a sudden epiphany as his eyes dart back over to these pictures. There’s love. There’s a home. Happiness... 

“What if…” Boss clears his throat. “What if … we stayed?” Sans threw up his eyebrows hearing that. He had to wonder if his brother was okay. “I’m serious.” Boss tuts his teeth. “His brother is dead… and that monster is desperate for a friend…” 

“He poisoned me Pap!” 

“...so? You’re horny. You’re always horny. And you’re always fucking around Sans. At least this creep can actually pay.” 

“This isn’t!!” Sans quivered. “This isn’t a normal...feeling. I feel weird Boss! I want to go home.” 

“Home, so you can fuck someone again?” Boss scoffed. He hated saying this. He hated thinking this. “Can’t you just fuck this fucker and feel better?” 

Sans whimpered. “I could. But what about you? I can see your magic stirring from here!” He accused Boss while pointing a finger at his abdomen. The red glow under his clothing, not missed. Boss growled. 

“I’m not like you.”   
“Whats that supposed to mean?”  
“I dont need to fuck to get this out my system,”He tilts his chin up like he was better than Sans.   
Putting a hand on his chest, he proudly announced~ “I’ll masturbate!”

Sans blanked like he forgot that was a thing. “... oh. Yeah okay. We can stay.”

“Really?”  
“Sure Paps.” Sans squirmed uncomfortably. “...If you think this nutter won’t kill us in our sleep. That's fine for me.”

They let go of their plan to go home for now and slowly made their way back upstairs. The living room was empty, the kitchen was empty, and they could still hear a racket from upstairs where Stretch was panic cleaning. He’d never even known they were gone. They were just in time to see him emerge from the room. Garbage bag over his shoulder and dusting rags stuffed in his pockets. 

“The rooms clean now!” He announces gleefully. He looks down at his two new houseguests, tilting his head with awkward surprise when he spots Sans’s red glow. “Oh! The bathroom is up here Sans, last door down the hall.” 

The brothers cast a glance at each other, thinking the same thing.   
‘What the fuck is a bathroom?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading (σ･з･)σ !! You guys who comment are the best and keep me motivated to write more. 
> 
> くコ：彡 If you enjoy the fic so far please think about sharing it too~   
> Keep in mind that there may be adult themes later tho (>o<;;)/ !!!


	9. Potty Training.

The door at the end of the hall was an ominous entity. This so called ‘bathroom’ was apparently the answer to their swelling magic. What could be behind the door? What salvation did it hold? Sans hesitated at the door knob, but Boss was right at his shoulder ensuring him it would be okay. From the name, this appeared to be some sort of purification chamber. A bath… so there must be a lake or running water like the sink in his kitchen. And from the way Stretch implied, this place would take away his magic and this feeling of discomfort. Not that they’d ask. Asking meant they’d show how much they didn’t know about the basics of this world… and they couldn’t have this copy have leverage over them.

The door opened on its hinges with a silent whoosh rather than an eerie screech. Inside the room was a sink like in the kitchen, and another sink facing a tub, curtains that didn’t cover a window, a chair, and basket for dirty laundry. The whole room was tiled like the kingdom, with smooth white flooring.  Boss went over to the sink and flipped it on, just as Stretch did downstairs. He turned it off and on again a couple times, just amused by the contraption. He’d be entertained and bewildered if he was a kid, but as an adult the convenience fills him with a dull dread and a sigh. Sans came in too, though it was small.

He looked left and right, a bit off put by the lack of a waterfall or signs. He picked up a bottle of shampoo and started to read it. Searching its label for secrets. Boss was tinkering with everything. Checking the mirror that swung outward and medicine cabinet. Poking the soap dish. Spraying aersol. Pressing the silver switch on the chair to hear a roar flush. The watched the water swoosh down. Tilting their head in curiosity.

“This seems to be the centerpiece.” Boss noted. “It must be important.”

“How’s anyone supposed to reach that water? … Am I supposed to stick my hand in?”

“It’s a chair.” Boss tuts his teeth. “Maybe you sit on it, and the suction sucks you off.”

“… I’d rather just fuck. I don’t want a hicky on my pelvis…”

“You want me to suck you off?”

“Eww! Pap! Don’t be gross!!”

“Its medical Sans! Besides, you’re just going to do it with that copy.”

“He’s not my brother!”

“Neither am I.”

“….” Sans grumbles, trying to make an argument he can’t win. He looks at the imposing throne, choosing between the two was easy. “No, I got this I’ll use the hicky seat. I can do this.”

“You sure?”

“…” Sans squeezes his legs, feeling the pressure building about to explode. “Yes.” He says. Something would happen very soon anyway if he didn’t take action. “…Okay wait outside.”

“No.” Boss says sharply. He crosses his arms over his chest. “What if you fall in and loose a bone?”

“I need to strip, Pap.”

Boss grumbles, not saying a thing but turning slightly to face the door. This was the best it was going to get. At least Boss was watching the door so no one would come in. Sans whines a bit in his throat, unsure how to go about this business…

He slipped his shorts off a little and took a seat in the chair. If it weren’t for his ecto magic forming he really may have fallen in. The giant hole was weird for a chair. He pressed the flusher and trembled on the seat. Should he just… release his ecto body here? Or… was something supposed to happen? 

“I think…” Boss clears his throat. “… singing helps.”

“I’m not gonna sing Paps, I’m practically bursting here.”

“… that’s what the kid used to do.” Boss whispers.

Sans feels a catch in his throat then. Boss didn’t talk about that a lot, but when he did it felt like a precious secret that Sans shouldn’t trample those memories. He felt embarrassed to sing, but it couldn’t get any worse with his pants already at his ankles. Sans closed his eyes and leaned forward. He folded his hands over his face and humiliated, started to humming.

His face was red from embarrassment, glad Boss wasn’t faced this way as he hummed a melody from their childhood. He knocked his knees together feeling the pressure try to push through again. There was a small trickle of liquid squeezed out. Then the flood gates had opened and Sans had to cover his mouth at his surprise, the quiet gasp of relief had his whole body shaking. His ectobody naturally released into the toilet. The sound of a steam of water finished off his song.

A flush and pant buckle later, and all the funny smart ass comments drained from him… Sans timidly tapped his brother’s shoulder to let him know he was done. They shifted places. Sans watching the door and Paps now staring down at the pearly chair with confusion and hatred.

After hearing San’s quieted mewls and uncomfortable squirming for half an hour, he was hard. Sans thought his magic had formed due to the food… but that wasn’t true. Papyrus exhaled a deep breath. He gripped his phallus and hovered over the bowl with a weird feeling of apprehension in his gut. He took a glance back at Sans’s back and gulped.

 “… What… “ Boss looks at his brothers slender hips, feeling really horrible to ask this. But given the circumstances, maybe he’d get an answer. “What… um… what organ did you… use?” 

“? …” Sans was quiet at first, perhaps confused by what that meant. But after a moment, “both?”

Boss squeezed himself with that new image. He’d never asked about Sans’s gender preference. He could guess… but… both was definitely not the answer he’d imagined. He stared down at his penis feeling a bit out of place to be asking a follow up question. Did his brother… enjoy summoning both? Was it unconscious? Traumatic?

He closes his eyes and imagines his brothers face.  Quickly strokes himself to completion, staring at Sans’s back until he spurts with a huff of relief into the bowl. And thankfully, watches his magic settle and fade from the pent up frustration he felt.


	10. Sleeping Arrangements

After a strict scolding from Stretch to wash their hands, the two successfully finished their business!

Evident by the tree chairs, there were three bedrooms. One on the left, belonging to Stretch. The second in the middle belonging to his deceased brother. The third on the end, another bedroom that had long since been abandoned and was turned into a storage space. Stretch had apparently been clearing that third room all this time. Gathering papers, shuffling away books, sweeping and putting down new linen. But even with his tedious dusting the place still smelled from its unuse. A scent mixture of closet sweaters and mothballs.

He gathered fresh blankets and and tried to open the window to let the room breath. But the cold Snowdin chill made the room far from comforting… As they stood in the room Stretch shivered a bit, laughing awkwardly about the situation. 

In a last ditch effort to keep his newfound friends, Papyrus offered his brothers room as an alternative for the night. Hoping they wouldn’t mind a little mess. Despite it being more than unsettling to sleep in the dead monster’s room, Sans and Papyrus checked it out. 

His little brother’s bedroom was … cute.  Sans looked left and right feeling out of place in the fantasy childhood room.

There was a spaceship bed. Blue and white with little cloud shaped pillows and a small cubbies under the frame for storing clothes. On the floor there were dozens of toys, from the smallest connectable plastic brick all the way to a large teddy bear and a soccer ball. On the desk were the action figures from this overly cute and sparkly human looking anime girl. The ceiling was full of fake peel-on stars. The walls full of posters with some sort of  some DJ. A telescope pointed out the window and towards the rocky cavern ceilings of Snowdin. Yet for some reason Sans swore he could see someone painted some stalactites with sparkly paint.

Sans whistled. In awe of this… pampered shit that got to have all this junk. What a fucking baby. Was this  _ his  _ copy? A fucking  _ softie _ ? Figuring the kid finally got hit with karma and bit the dust for just lushing it up out here. Getting everything he wanted and more, how unfair.

Boss on the other hand, had a different way of expressing his jealousy. Not through anger, but regret. The room was starting to paint a different picture. A house full of love and compassion. Monsters that lived together. A big brother that doted on his little brother. 

This little brother had a music shelf. Discs filled with things other than heavy breathing purveying his mind while he slept. Papyrus picked up albums that ranged from lullabies for tots to young adult music for angsty teenagers. 

He picked up a teddy bear. It had a cute little ribbon on its neck and mittens on its hands. It was soft to the touch. Once upon a time, he had a bear like this. It wasn’t quite as colorful or taken care of, the fur was matted and the eyes were dull buttons instead of these shiny pearls. He liked that doll… he wondered what happened to it. He’d probably dropped it while escaping a raid. Or traded it to get some meager money. He couldn’t remember. Something from so long ago was lost.

He was more than a bit jealous. Sure, Sans had taken care of him the best he could. And he wouldn’t trade his brother for the world… but there were limits to what Sans could do. To make up for his brother’s failure, Papyrus had to grow up fast to protect them both. He had to kill. Had to steal. Had to fight his way to the top, treading on the dust of other monsters. He feels like a lot of his childhood is missing. Like a part of his innocence has been taken away.

A decade ago, while this younger brother was playing with dolls, Papyrus was poking dust bunnies outside of his brothers bedroom. Listening to the rough grunts and squeaky springs of a mattress being rocked back and forth. Quietly wishing that those feverish sound would stop and at the same time knowing that the noises are his only clue that Sans is still alive. And as much as he hates the noise, the silence would be a far worse. He trembled every pause between grunts and moans, held his breath when his brother screamed. Pleasure? Pain? Did it matter when Sans was one sharp thrust away from death?

Boss assumed this world’s version of Sans probably died from the same weakness. He understood why Stretch may be a little more than desperate for a replacement. And to be honest with himself, he wasn’t sure what he’d do if he lost his brother. Maybe he’d be just as desperate. 

The twinge of jealousy was still there, but he thought himself lucky not to have all the excessive toys and joyful comforts of childhood.   If there was a choice between living comfortably or keeping his brother by his side,  he'd choose to keep his brother anyday instead of all this material junk. 

It seemed a short lifespan and madness was the trade off for the easily obtainable happiness in this abundant world. These... age swapped brothers had everything handed to them… and still ended up miserable. 

When he looks at his Sans,  his brother stuffs his hands in his pants pockets. A usual pose, but strange without his hoodie. He looked small. Naked. Vulnerable. “Well, Boss. Sleep tight.” Sans flashes him a deceiving smile and turns on his heel “I’ll see you in the morning.”

The morning?! Those words cut sharp through his nostalgia instantly. Papyrus growled in his throat, bitter his brother was leaving. They hadn’t had any alone time since this copy showed up! “…And where do you think you are going Sans?”

He smacked his hands on his hips and raised a boney eyebrow, not in the least bit curious because he already knew what his brother was thinking. He’d seen that  expression before.That weak, and pathetic slouch. When payment had to be received. Or punishment was issued. That one track mind his brother had to complete a job. 

Sans wasn’t sheepish to say it. “I have to sleep with him Boss.” It was natural. Payment. An exchange of goods for goods.

 His brother scowls, for so long he’s wanted to say these words and now he finaly has a reason to put his foot down.“You don’t have to sleep with him.” He feels a lump in his throat. A guilt. And anger. Something far more jealous than any of the toys in this room. He couldnt loose his precious brother to that copy. 

He tried to reason with his confused older brother. “Can’t you see he’s not like the rest of them?” He gestured in wide circles with his hands, prompting Sans to take a look around and notice where the fuck they were. A whole different world. The mindfuck was something the two had accepted over the last couple hours. He kept pressing, urging Sans to get the hint. 

But his damaged older brother did not. Not completely. Despite all that they’d seen today, Sans still felt uneasy. It was hard to undo the years of mental training he’d adopted to survive. He hovered in the spot between door and Boss, not sure to stay or go. On one hand, he was already in debt to Stretch. Their hour together wasted on building that machine. And his magic stirred up from eating had prompted Sans to look for a sexual partner. Even unsummoned, his body was primed for this.  “He’s not a customer.” Boss reminded him. 

“He paid already.” Sans countered, that guilt eats at him. 

“...He obviously doesn’t know our rules!” Papyrus raised his voice, practically waving his arms around the room like some showroom model. Saying, look at this stuff! Look at the unique lifestyle neither of them could afford even in their wildest dreams.

They didn’t have to earn money to eat something right now. Not when the clone had given them a home cooked meal. Boss may not have eaten, but his stats were humming from the half sandwich and wine. His brothers health was higher than it had been in years. 

Both of their health was comfortably boosted, they didn’t have to worry about dusting. They didn’t have to worry about monsters. They didn’t have to take shifts sleeping. Sans… didn’t have to sleep with someone... Sans didn’t have to sleep with someone. 

This strange heavy feeling in his chest suddenly started to chip away at its edges. Was sex ever pleasent? It was something he learned very early. Something to take his mind off important matters. A way to avoid punishment. Protect Paps. A way to distract from responsibilities. And then he learned he could make money doing this. A solution to the problems that kept him up at night. The distraction, somehow became beneficial. Sex became a way to save them. 

Sans teetered in place. Still unsure of doing something… new? Was ignoring his sex drive new? Not really. There were lots of monsters that couldn't pay and Sans avoided them until they coughed up the cash. But those that did pay, Sans always gave up the goods. It was normal. Routine. A comfy pattern of give and take. Breaking that cycle… taking without consequence felt weird. 

The concept of a gift, foreign. Every monster had something they wanted. Manipulation, negotiation, persuasion, those were just tools to get whatever you wanted.  Nothing ever came free. A free meal… probably meant he’d want something big later. Sans couldn't be owing an unpaid debt! They’d be in more trouble if he ever cashed out! The unknown favor started to make him anxious. 

Papyrus saw this cold sweat on his brothers face. No doubt thinking of horrible things… “ Sans?” He tried to get his attention. “Just sleep with me tonight. It will be okay.” He took his brother by the hand and squeezed it, making a silent promise. The look in his eyes was honest. Heartwarming. When his eyes met with his brothers he felt he could see right into his soul. 

Sans didn’t look convinced. He looked terrified of unknown possibilities and worried something bad would happen for not completing his job. Even still, Papyrus walked them over to the spaceship bed and sat on it's edge. From there, it was easy to  pull Sans into his lap. The lack of resistance came from years of trust and love and humoring Papyrus’s whims. 

It was all too easy. Papyrus sighed, fingers trembling around Sans’s back. His brother was so tiny. He could feel his soul flutter in his ribs from this close. The magic was strong and comfortable with him. Unguarded. Undefended. Unaware of what a monster his brother really was. He closed his eyes and hugged his bro tight. 

“I missed you.” Papyrus sighed with a long depression. He felt his brother’s hands come around him and cradle him. “I haven’t seen you in two weeks Sans, spend a night with me. Tell me a story? It helps my nightmares go away.” Would begging for this kind of childhood be too pathetic of him? He’s not a babybones anymore. Asking for such things at his age was probably shameful. But he couldn't help but want to guilt his brother a little. If it worked to keep him here… that was fine.  

“Sorry Pap.” Why was he sorry? He didn’t seem to be moving away. Papyrus knew his brother shifted blame on himself for a lot of things… but was he really going to apologize for a nightmare that had nothing to do with him!? It was laughable, it was problematic. But a kiss pressed against the side of his skull. The tender clack of bones that made him feel whole. “I’ll stay, okay?”

Papyrus smiled at those words. Feeling a blossom of warmth in his soul from the good news. His brothers small frame pressed up against his own. He relished in his moment.  “I thought of you the whole time I was gone.” Boss admits, not saying why. “And… I thought about how much I hate you sleeping with others. I want it to stop Sans.” 

He felt his brother pat his back like a child. His condescending voice filling his eardrums, “Paps if I don’t earn any money how are we going to make it through the month?” 

He hated when his brother was right. “I didn’t know before.” Boss starts slowly. “I dont know now.” He says again. He closes his eyes and breathes in Sans’s scent. He feels Sans shift in his lap, straddling him to get more comfortable.  “But if we stay here... we wont have to worry about that anymore. There’s an abundance of food here. The chatterbox doesn't look like he’ll kill us anytime soon, he has spare rooms for us to stay. ... You’re not still feeling poisoned right?”

“No.” 

“See? This could be safe.” He fell back onto the bed with his prisoner in his arms. Sans making an ‘oof’ sound as he was dragged along. The spaceship bed didn’t even make a creak with both their weight. (They weigh 2 skele _ tons :D)  _  The soft pillowy mattress cushioned them. Boss releases Sans so he can stretch out  his limbs on the bed frame like a tired cat. Arms and legs sprawled in the air as far as they could go. There is a clicking when his bones, satisfactorily  release all the tension of the day. Sans chuckles a little at him, curling into a ball by his side. 

“Okay… I’ll stay.” Sans considered it again, this time sounding confident. Maybe because the bed was so soft he could fall asleep right here. Or maybe it was because Boss was so clingy today. He couldn't help but want to stay with him. 

He  looks at his little brother, perhaps taking him for granted. Paps just came back from battle. Just a couple hours ago he’d been shivering like a babybones in fear. Everything from the week hit him like a boulder when he finally came home with Sans. Lingering in his embrace always felt like coming home. He’d always been comforted when his brother was by his side. Like nothing could hurt them anymore or tear them apart. Today’s strange events had forced them to be constantly on. Socially and vigilantly. For the first time all day, they were alone in the room. 

“What kind of story do you want Pap?”

“...” It takes him a moment to respond, partly because he’d never imagine Sans would actually do it. Did Sans even have any stories? They shared so much, yet so little. “...um… what stories did you have growing up?” He can practically feel Sans tense. The jump in his magic where it fizzed out like an extinguished match, popped in the room. Quickly, Papyrus tried to fix it. “With mom!” 

That sets his nerves at ease. “Mom… was amazing.” Sans’s voice chimes up in admiration. “She always smiled. Even when things got bad. Heh. Guess I picked that up from her. She smiled on her death bed too. She wasn’t around long... Your mom, though… She loved flowers. Every day, she’d come to the office with a new flower crown on her head. She gave me some. It was the only color in the lab. Buttercups. Wisteria. Spider lilies. Camellia. Even colorful mushrooms… anything she found on her walks. That was long before the forest there was burned to cinder. 

Eventually a new dress code made her stop bringing them… but she would still sneak in echo flowers since they were being used for long distance communication research at the time. She’d leave one by my door with a small greeting and a bowl of extra vitamins she’d snuck in. When she had you… she wasn’t allowed in the lab anymore. She wasn't even allowed to hold you. I remember her screaming as security dragged her away. I don't think they killed her. But… she never came back to the lab. 

When you came to my cell. I thought you were the cutest little thing. I didn’t know what you were. I hadn’t seen a baby before. Your skull wasn’t fused yet. Your bones were really malleable. Your magic was unstable. I was really confused how easily you fell apart. I’d spend so much time trying to piece you back together. … heh...You were my first puzzle.” 

He laughs at the memory. Sans’s real laugh, not a half baked chuckle, was something of music in the room.  Papyrus tilts his head over at him. Watching. Sans had his eyes closed. Not just the magic gone from his eyesocket, but his whole eyes closed and relaxed as he snuggled into the bed and felt at ease. It was so nice to see him like that. 

“You had... better stats.” Sans breathes. “I was so glad... I wanted... a normal ..life for ..you Pap. I really did. …I’m sorry.” His sounds drown out as Sans drifts off to sleep. 

“You did your best Sans.” Papyrus makes a quieted sound, moving to rest his hand on his brothers skull. In small circles he pats him until his breathing becomes slow and even. When he’s sure Sans is in a deep sleep cycle, he draws his brother closer to him. Spooning the monster in his arms. He whispers words of adoration and love, unheard and secret. 


	11. Shackles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a heartbreaker Q-Q but its all for good build up in the end! Promise! 
> 
> Thanks for love and support! Hope you guys had a great New Years!

The morning creeps in on them with an unwelcome presence. The core here was punctual. At 6am on the dot, Snowdin’s light system had started to buzz. Filling the little town with a warm artificial color. 

Papyrus is first to wake. A natural light sleeper, any little thing disturbs him from his slumber. The light here, with its auburn glow, looks a lot like the setting sun on the surface. The late- low on the horizon- sunset cast the sky full of wonderfully bright colors. And when the air was full of methane from a days worth of burning bodies the evening sky burned red with an awe inspiring color. 

That was the color now. The warm fake sunrise. It burned Papyrus’s eyes. 

Real sunrise was quieter. Bluer. It filled the sky with a natural azure glow before any color even began to fill the sky. He hated being underground again. But a snuggle at his ribs reminded him why he always came back. 

Sans was still curled up at his side. Sound asleep. Quiet. Restful. Beautiful. He rubbed his skull with the back of his hand. Luckily Sans was turned away from the bright window, nestled up against his chest. Small hands clinging to his brother like they were still kids. He wanted to lie with him here forever. 

The soft breaths Sans made when he slept were the sweetest lullaby. Papyrus closed his eyes against the light and tried to go back to sleep. Just listening to that murmured voice. 

He wrapped a hand around his brothers waist and pulled him closer. That warmth body on body contact was something he missed. Something so innocent yet left a hunger for more. His hand lingered on his hip. Afraid to cross that line.

He hugs Sans closer to him. Limp body, pliable in his hands. The thick embrace of body heat calms him to sleep again.

This time, instead of the empty void of sleep or the horrific nightmares of the surface, he has a good dream. A dream of joy and sweets and things that could never be. 

He dreams of his own home. A place of safety where the door always stayed open and monsters would come and go without concern of death. Where his position in the royal guard was more than a foot soldier, but captain. Loved and adored by all. Undyne was his friend. Instead of torturing him with endless drills she was his partner that trained with him through thick and thin, encouraging each other to do better. The kid was there. Tiny smile, tiny hands. That innocent childlike hope that things will change. 

The surface was free. They bathed in the sunlight. Sans kissed him to welcome him home. Not a clack on the cheek. An open mouthed tongue full kiss. Heated and desperate to be close. He held his precious brother against his hips. Those whorish moans would be for him and him alone. He'd tower over Sans, watching his radiant brother blossom in shades of pink. Shy , humble, nervous to please and a voice like an angel. Every rock of their hips he'd see Sans's eye lights flicker with stars. Their bodies would be sweaty and exhausted, but they cant help but want to get closer. Placing lavish kisses on his neck and going another round. Hips moving in small circles, cries of Papyrus. Papyrus! His name sung so sweetly. 

"Papyrus." It's only an hour later when Sans is nudging his shoulder, asking him to wake with small whispers. Papyrus has a moment between the sweet of a dream and reality. Unsure where the voice originated from. His sweet Sans in bed , calling his name was thrusting his hips up to meet him. He didnt want to let go.

But that sweet sultry whisper wasn't for him. Sans would only whisper when they were in danger, not for his fantasies, so Papyrus's thoughts start to race into panic. " papyrus." That short whisper, did it have urgency? Was there trouble? 

Papyrus snaps his eyes awake. It's a harsher wake than it was the first time he woke with the light. This abrupt panic in his chest makes him feel immediate unrest. He would have stayed longer in his dream, if it was only them in the house. Unfortunately there was the third. The annoying twin with his face and charm.

He hears the guy excitedly making noise downstairs. His instincts say the noise is coming from a burglary or monster attack. Which he knows isn’t true. He has to shake his mind free of his paranoia. They aren’t even home. As tired as he is, he knew the difference from smell alone. The sickly sweet flowery scent was not native to them. The clatter of dishes sound like cooking… but this world somehow had magic food. So that couldn't be the case. 

“Papyrus, you’re hurting me.” Sans whispers, he tries not to startle his brother any more than he already has because he can see the flicker of fear in his eyes. 

Papyrus releases his brother immediately and shimmies to sit up. Hand over his own chest to draw out his soul. Without hesitation he pulls out his soul and tries to share his health. But Sans grabs his wrist and stops him. 

“Woah. I’m not that hurt! I’m okay Paps.” He assures him. “Relax, Boss.” He slowly releases Papyrus’s wrist and eases his hand to return his own soul to his chest. “Shh… come on. Gently.” He whispers. As soon as Papyrus’s soul is settled back in his ribs. “Good.” 

Papyrus gulps deeply, practically choking on his saliva. As comforting as his brother was, those words were stirring him in a strange way. He feels heat rising inside him. And the tips of Sans’s fingers, lightly touching his ribs, helping to settle his soul, was a touch that sent a jolt through his bones. 

He cleared his throat, trying to say something to ignore this feeling. He checks Sans’s health. Not remembering how high it had been before, but it was well over 20 today. Food and rest were a beautiful thing. “So.You’re okay?” 

“Yeah. It’s just a bruise.” 

“A bruise?!” Papyrus clenches his hands into tight balls. “I? Hurt? You? -” 

“It’s just a bruise Pap.” Sans tries to settle him down. He waves both his hands in front him as though Papyrus was spooked livestock. The empty handed gesture in their world was a symbol of defeat, weakness without a weapon. A surrender. Papyrus seemed to back away from him at the meaning. The only reason to retreat was if Sans was hurt and that was now. “Dont act like that Pap. You know I’ve had hundreds of bruises before this. I’m not going to dust.” He rolls his eyes, downplaying something so important. 

Papyrus hurt him. 

It was far different than when other monsters hurt Sans. But Papyrus wasn’t like those kind of monsters! Hurting Sans was…unthinkable. Unforgivable… Where was he bruised? He’d like to ask… but Sans was littered in dozens of black and blues… cracks and faded scars. Just eyeing the few revealing bones under his untidy clothing painted a picture. None of those healed while he was away? 

“Oh. I see now.” Sans throws both his eyebrows in the air, now he and his brother are sitting away from each other on the bed. “Some dream you had?”

“... a nightmare.”  
“Ooh hoo~ so you got a stiffy from a nightmare, Paps? What a freak. Heh.”

Papyrus’s face fell in horror, unsure what to make of that ridiculing laugh. His eyes drifted down to the tent at the front of his own pants.The black leather fabric offered no stretch against his swelling ecto magic. The confines were tight and unbearably obvious to his sleeping partner. He was annoyed his body for betraying his own lies in such a way. 

If Sans had known he was having a wet dream about him he would…  
Hmm? What would Sans do? 

Papyrus stared out at his older brother with half lidded eyes, curious. His unbashful, unashamed, brother was still teasing him for his morning wood. Asking if he was thinking of the snowbunny twins or maybe the captain. Wondering with amusement what gets his gears going. 

Who knows? It certainly wasn’t Sans’s shitty attitude. 

Rather than covering himself, or responding to the quips, Paps ignored Sans for a moment, groaned and got out of the bed with a slow start. This world was pretty warm for Snowdin. Quiet due to the dead. The back of his neck felt sore. Maybe he’d slept wrong. It was a tiny bed afterall, sharing it with Sans all night was bound to make his shoulders stiff later.

Sans snaps his fingers. “I got it. It’s him! You got a woody for your own face Paps?” He snickers like he’d solved some mystery. “No wonder you didn’t want me to sleep with him. Ya got a thing for your reflection?”

Papyrus ground his teeth. “Yes.” If it will keep his brother away from that copy bastard, then sure. He’d say anything. He felt a thick slap on his back to chide him. 

“Oh, ~ I knew it Paps. This is great! Now you can sleep with him , lose your V, and he wont kick us out. Win win!” 

Papyrus’s eye twitched. “Come again?”

“You can sleep with him.” Sans says. “I wont touch him, promise.” 

That didn’t sit right with Papyrus, he could have sworn he heard something disturbing come out of Sans’s mouth. Some inner fear he only talked about in brief side conversations… ignoring the topic. Laughing in his face about it when asked. The insecure jerk, unknowingly dragging others into his own issues.. 

His heart sunk and with it, Papyrus sunk to his knees to get to semi- eye level with his brother. Like this, Sans was taller than him. Just like the big bro who’d always take care of him when he was little. He forgot how it felt looking up at Sans. Like he was the sun. the guiding light, protector and angel. 

He held his brothers hand in his. It was awkward to grab both of his hands, but he needed Sans not to run away. To look him in the eye and answer. 

“Heh. Paps… what are you doing? Going to propose to me? Hehe.” His nervous laugher and jokes were products of his own coping mechanisms. The shitty banter, defence. The lude behavior, shame converted to pride. His brother couldn't hide his ticks from him. He saw right through every act. 

“Sans.” Papyrus breaths through his mouth. Drawing in a deep breath that swells his chest, unsure how to start this. So he does it bluntly and as forward as possible. “Gaster made you think sex was the only way to solve issues, but it's not. Do you still think, Stretch is letting us stay here only because he wants to get off?“

Sans’ smile falls from his face. His eyes hollow in an instant, the red iris he’d always seen from his brother is faded to the meek colorless dot of white which shivers in place as it stares at Papyrus. “..w..what?” His tone was sharp even though he was stammering. 

From anyone else, the name Gaster meant little. He was a memory. A nightmare. But when his brother said the name, it was like 15 years of therapy opening up. Closed wounds and hidden secrets couldnt remain sealed when his brother knew them all. He couldn't roll his shoulders and dismiss the conversation like with anyone else. He couldn't lie to Papyrus. 

Papyrus almost didn't’ return the eye contact. There was a biting regret in his throat from even saying that. To be honest. It didn’t look like Sans heard anything past that name. Just the word Gaster set his bones to tremble. Papyrus felt it in Sans’s phalanges. The small digits, eager to pull away. Unable too - now that Papyrus had locked their fingers together. 

“Listen to me Sans.” Papyrus exhales a sharp breath, pained to see his brother in a locked state. Shoulders tense and desperate to pull away and laugh this off. “There is kindness in this world. It’s not a fairytale. It’s real. It’s here. The kid taught me that. And… I never thought I’d see the day when another monster cared about strangers the way we do with family… This guy. Stretch. He gets it. He has kindness and love and… he’s not going to use us up and throw us out. Please understand that Sans.” 

The change in topic seems to snap Sans back to his senses. His fears turn into a biting anger. “You don’t even know him!” Sans spits back. 

“Neither do you.” Papyrus whispers. “What if … no one has to have sex…? Kay? We’re just … all going to stay pals and not … be shackled by something in the past. Okay?” He squeezed Sans hands a little tighter than before. “Let’s just… go along with whatever whim he wants. It will be fun. ...He doesn’t look like he’ll harm us. I mean… we slept fine all night.” 

Much like the night before, Sans looked unconvinced. Despite being the first to accept this was another world, he still has a problem letting go of the values he’d grown up with. Boss clicks his teeth together, trying to find a different way to say this. 

“Nothing bad is going to happen if you don’t sleep with him.” 

Sans is usually an open book, but right now Papyrus isn’t sure what’s running through his brothers head. Doubt, insecurity, acceptance, fear? The tremble in his hands has stopped but the tight pull away was still there. 

“...”  
“Trust me on this Sans. Please.” 

“...” There was a long drawn out scoff under Sans’s breath. In denial about Papyrus’s childlike view of the world. Kindness. Friendship. Bullshit. But… he always trusted Pap to have his back. And. well… like he said. Nothing bad happened from Sans not sleeping with the guy. He’d spend all night here. Things were fine, yeah? “Kay.” He whispers.

Paps smiles a little. This could be the start of a lot of change for them. If he were a dog his tail would be wagging with the lil glee he felt in his gut. Well, something was wagging happily. His morning surprise had yet to go away and now being on his knees was making his pants feel so tight around the crotch. He didn’t show it as he stood back up. Trying to think of something unpleasant to make this log go away. 

They opened the door of the bedroom and were about to head outside, but Stretch was already at their door, primed to knock- caught in the middle of the act.

“Oh~ good! You two are awake!” He chimes happily. “ I have some good news for you both! The portals got a fresh charge from last night, so I’m sending you two home!” 

Oh stars no. 

There was no quicker boner killer than that bit of news. Papyrus cleared his throat, trying not to sound disappointed. But a lump crept to his throat and lodged itself there. “... I thought we could stay longer.” He glances at Sans, worried what his older brother was thinking. Without warning there was a note of trepidation echoing through his bones.

“Maybe another time.” Stretch rubbed the back of his neck, his words drawn out and slow as though he was making an excuse. Papyrus frowned, he and Sans followed him out the room. His voice, a radio to walk too. “Well, I still have to make some modifications on the machine and do some chores on my end. Ya know how it is right? A lil clean up of a certain singularity. Nyeh hah… heh… I’m not looking forward to it. But you guys don't have to be here for that. I’d much rather get this reset over with already. The towns usually a lot more busy than this. And my bro would love to meet ya. He’d get along real great.” 

Papyrus’s frown deepened. These delusions of his were a bit worrisome. If nothing else about the monster, his temperment about his dead brother was something the two hadn't tread on. He wonders to himself if the other would snap if either one pressed that dead monsters can’t come back to life. They round about the bottom of the stairs and continue to the next flight down. The basement. Papyrus clenches his jaw. This well-lit room still gave him an ominous feeling. 

“Hmmm. Well… I realized this morning I probably haven't been the best host to you two. I’ve been chatting your ears off, well if you had ears, I would be chatting them off. Nyeh heh. Um. I noticed you guys aren’t really the chatty type… so let's take a lil break and meet again next reset alright?”

Next reset? Papyrus trembled. When was that? Was that a holiday or something? He’d been talking about resets forever now and Papyrus hadn’t once bothered to interrupt and ask what the heck that was. From context it sounds like it had something to do with the dead brother… but how can he ask about that? “Next-?” He asked, but is cut off. 

Stretch boots up the machine. It’s loud whirr and mechanical noises silence Paps beating soul. “Kay, It’s ready now! So you two can climb on in!.” Through the noise Sans somehow grabs his hand and pulls his brother in. Complying with orders. Papyrus is still mid conversation with Stretch though, he hardly notices his feet moving until his head hits one of the over head beam on the hatch door. It dazes him a little. All he can hear was Stretch yelling over the machine. “Sometimes I’m a bit slow to take the hint on these things! Sorry for misunderstanding! I realized, I was holding you two hostage here overnight. So I’m gonna set things right and send you home! Kay bye!!” 

A bright light blots out his vision and before he knows it he and Sans are back in their own shitty basement. Cobwebs on the floor. Broken machine parts… and two shivering confused skeletons. 

Papyrus looks back at the machine. Back at his paradise. His dream. Why? Why! What happened? What did he do? Should he have said something sooner?! 

Sanns bends down and picks up his long missed sweater. It fits snuggly over his shoulders. A cloak to mask his face. “...We should have slept with him. Sans sighed. Just one attachment makes it harder for fuckers like him to throw us away.” 

“Thats not true! He was a friend he was-!”  
“He was just bored Papyrus! He wanted entertainment and we didn’t give him any!”  
“… but-”  
“He used us Paps! He was curious, got tired of us, and threw us away. That's how it always is.”

No. That couldn't be. Papyrus walked over to the console. Arms tucked into his chest, afraid to touch anything. Hundreds of buttons and toggles and levers oriented the control pannel in such a way Paps was afraid he might blow up the house if he chose wrong. His eyes scanned it. Looking for something vaguely familiar, but twice now, he had missed the combination Stretch used to open it. 

“...”Sans tut his teeth. “Come on Boss… Don't cry here. Fuck. Comeon.”

“But… we were so close. We could have been happy.”

“What? Your not happy here with me?!” He visibly turns angry, but faced against the empty white canvas of his brother he take his tone down a notch. With a sigh he stumbles over to the device console too. He plays with a few buttons, seemingly nothing happens. “I’m sorry I yelled.” He makes a reach for Papyrus’s hand. A soggy noodle of an arm bends with his light touch. “ It's just… paps… damn… you shouldn't have gotten so attached. They all get bored eventually … we knew that was gonna happen. come on… let’s go upstairs.”

Papyrus take a while to just restart. Like he’s blue screened and doesn't understand whats going on. Sans helps him up the stairs and at the top of the stairs, he locks the basement door. It looked the same, like it had never opened to begin with. 

Papyrus aimlessly walks to the fridge. Opens it and closes it as if expecting a portal to open up in his kitchen. 

“It's empty paps.” He reminds him. It's not even plugged in. Sans rubs the back of his neck. “Look… I’ll make some money okay? We’ll just… put this behind us. It was just a dream ya know?”

The empty house is so quiet without his mindless chatter.  
“...Boss?”  
“...”  
“..”  
“..”


	12. Necessary

After just hours of moping around in a depressive fog, Papyrus had come to a rash decision and announced he was leaving for the front lines. It came as a surprise to Sans, since his brother had just returned a day ago. His future absence also came with the threat of being collared again. 

He watched with anxiety as Papyrus started preparing his space for him. Pulling down fresh blankets from the closet, fluffing them out in their bedroom, kicking the old blankets out to the hall. He had gotten Sans two new books to read from the surface. He set them by his pillows along with the pathetic brown paper bag of tasteless rations. 

Papyrus buzzed around the stake in the ground. Making sure every necessity was within arms reach. Sans wrapped a hand around his neck, rubbing at the phantom weight. Whether or not Papyrus knew it, that chained post was heavy and burdensome. “I… dont want that this time.” Sans crosses his arms over his chest, standing up to his Boss. “I’m not going to wear it.” 

Papyrus paused but didnt turn to face him. Hunched over on his knees, he continued to set up Sans’s pen. “It’s necessary.” He whispers. 

\---

The seal to the cave entrance was broken, thanks to that kid. But it was still active with an eerie white and grey tempered pulse around the borders of the wall and ceiling. It greeted him with a baritone hum. It's light was nothing in comparison to the sunlight. Papyrus holds his breath as he crosses the threshold of the underground.

There was a wind at the end of the tunnel. The break of surface from the cave mouth. It was fresh ocean breeze and cool mountain summit meeting in the middle to produce   
a fresh kiss of salty air. The rain on the smooth dry stone. This mountain air was something the underground could never have. It was a crisp cool breeze that tingled his nasal cavity on a warm summer day. It also carried the faint smell of smoke and gunpowder. 

As he breached the exit of the underground he started to hear the long caws from birds of prey. Vultures and crows alike. There was rustle of rats that thrived from the surplus of rot, out of sight from the undergrowth of bushes and thorns, . 

The worn trodden dirt path down the middle of the mountain split these woods in two. Spiraling down the cliff side, it opened up to one of their first settlements. A few hundred trees had been chopped here to service some tents and stakes in the ground. Ash and cinder from firepits have made the surrounding ground ungrowable for anything. Now it's just a grey ashen death in the middle of the rich vibrant forest. 

He could see thick plumes of smoke on the horizon from their current camp. As monsterkind descended the mountain they spread their territory farther and farther. Using up every resource in their path. 

It wasn’t always like this. 

When the kid first opened up that doorway Papyrus got a view he’d never imagine to be real. Lush gardens and unique wildlife. With a soundless mouthing of words and a big hug -tiny arms unable to reach around him- he could tell the child was so happy to return home. Grateful one monster in the whole underground listened for once, instead of attacking on sight. That damn plotted plant was clutched so tightly to her chest as always, but the other hand, that other hand was for him. She pulled him towards the sunset, asking him to come with her. She pointed at the valley below, at the village where she’d come from.

For so long Papyrus had been envious of the humans culture. He’d seen a handful of movies and came to the conclusion that among the humans there were also monsters. Sub-species of zombies, vampires, wolfmen, and all sorts of horror movie atrocities were also part of daily life for them. He wanted to see them all. He wondered what humans were like. Would they be his friend? Were they kind like the kid? Or were they like his own? He was eager to meet them. He could see the vague village lights from over the hill, promise that there were others so close. But-

As curious as he was, he knew his brother was still waiting for him to return home. Maybe that was only an excuse. Even with his goal a few hours from reach, he felt apprehensive to go. 

‘What-if’s filled his mind with unfounded fears and doubts. Small insecurities arose. 

His boney cold hand in her fleshy warm palm was a stark difference. She didn’t speak, instead he read her status and the small emotions across her face. So perhaps other humans would be the same - or speak vastly different than he’d ever imagine. Would he be able to follow along a conversation? Would he understand accents? Would he make a fool of himself?

He grew up, literally, under a rock. In a cave where no outside information reached. He was a manchild- still believing in fairytales he knew weren't real but adored the stories anyway. He still watched anime and movies, a rarity in the underground was a fantasy he’d love to get lost in and watched religiously. His jobs were fleeting. Temp work from station to station across the underground. He couldn't take care of himself yet, Sans was the one who actually had a stable job and earned money everyday for their sake. 

He let go of her hand. And turned back. Back to the underground. To the dark and cold. It was fitting. He didn’t question it. There were roles in society… and his, for better or worse, was to be by his brothers side. No matter what. 

Perhaps it was a mistake. 

In the months to follow, the situation below took a turn for the worse. Production of basic goods slowed down.Crops burned. Homes were destroyed. Monsters would hunt each other. And Asgore’s greed would force a war on the surface once again. Under the guise of taking back the surface land for agriculture and territory, he’d spark an army to fight for him. The next time Papyrus saw the surface, it was in ruins. Nothing could grow here. Nothing could live here. 

He walked now through the charred ghost town of their first village captured and destroyed in the wake of war. Bones of architecture pillars and foundation lied exposed in the open air as the rest of the settlement was torched down. The kid wanted him to visit this place. Now he’d never get the chance to know if he’d be friend or foe. Monsters had already made their move. 

After following the scent of smoke, he arrived back at the battlefield which had become a second home to him. Humans were starting to fight back, not with magic, but ammunition. It had created a temporary stalemate. 

Papyrus got to one of the camps his superiors were staying at, was issued his orders, and set out to the front lines once more. He pushed their territory outward. Every kill, another notch into the humans side. 

With a health boost on his side, he didn’t have to worry about dodging or running.   
He could attack while pressing the enemy lines further and further from their camp.

He was a true monster on the battlefield. 

By the time the sun set on the horizon, the small village was already decimated and claimed in the name of King Asgore. They raided the villages supplies when every last enemy had dropped to the ground. It was in these rare moments of victory that the seized reward of food and supplies out lasted any mournful regrets he had. 

It was well into the night when Papyrus came back to his senses. The full moon shining above him did well to illuminate the thick drip of blood on his hands. His gloves gave a sickening squelch when he squeezed his fists. That day dream of another world was long gone. Replaced by countless screams. 

He’d performed like a perfect soldier. Didn’t he? No one could complain if he left again. Papyrus wanted to return home. He wanted to see Sans. He wanted to feel something again. 

Being granted leave was something rare. Only when reinforcements came would the guards rotate. But Papyrus was the reinforcement. He’d near singlehandedly conquered this day and when he rose to leave, he didn’t wait for permission. He demanded his leave and left with a satchel of supplies from his winnings. 

All the way up mount Ebott, he hiked to the mouth of the underground and returned home. Still off the high of taking responsibility for them, instead of relying on that Stretch prick, he looked forward to sharing with Sans his supplies. Proving that, yes, he can take care of them both.

The only problem was that Sans wasn’t home. 

The chain he’d clipped onto Sans was broken. His brother, gone. Papyrus fell to his knees and hunched over the floor boards. Patting the ground. Checking for dust. For his brother. There was a minute of dread weeping into his bones where he was afraid to breathe. His own breath would be enough to disturb the settling dust. When nothing showed up on his dried blood-caked gloves, he finally took a deep breath. Sans was alive. Just… not here. 

He looked back at the broken chain, recognizing the split from a clean sharp magic attack. Sans must have broken it. Why? Didn’t he trust him? Didn’t he know how important it was that he stay here and not go outside without him!? Papyrus seethed in anger, knowing there was only one place his idiot brother would go. 

… Muffet’s.


End file.
